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brown nose
Slang Dictionary

brown-nose definition


  1. n.
    and brownie; brown-noser. a sycophant; one who flatters for self-serving motives. : You are just a plain old brown-nose. , Will some brown-noser please try to get the teacher to put off the test?
  2. tv. & in.
    to curry favor with someone; to be a sycophant. : Don keeps brown-nosing, and the professor pretends not to notice.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
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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