brown nose
verb (used without object)
1.
to curry favor; behave obsequiously.
verb (used with object)
2.
to seek favors from (a person) in an obsequious manner; fawn over.
noun
3.
Also, brown-nos·er. a toady; sycophant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To brown nose
Collins
World English Dictionary
| brown nose | |
| —n | |
| vet science a form of light sensitization in cattle | |
00:10
Brown nose
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| brown-nose | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to be abjectly subservient (to); curry favour (with) |
| —n | |
| 2. | an abjectly subservient person; sycophant |
| [C20: from the notion that a subservient person kisses the backside of the person with whom he or she is currying favour] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
brown-nose
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
brown-nose definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
brown nose
Solicit favor obsequiously, toady. For example, Harry was always brown nosing, but it didn't help his grades. This term originated in the military in the late 1930s, where it meant "to curry favor"; it alludes to ass-kissing when the backside being kissed is less than clean. Despite its scatological origin, today this slangy term is not considered particularly vulgar.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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