The AI-powered English dictionary
plural lickspittles
A fawning toady; a base sycophant. quotations examples
"I've found you out and know you thoroughly, you mean, whining lickspittle!"
1857, Charlotte Brontë, “chapter 5”, in The Professor
"You're a suck, a suck and a lickspittle, that's what you are," said the pale man, his voice trembling with passion.
1920, Sherwood Anderson, “chapter 21”, in Poor White
His preposterous insults were legendary, and there are accounts of his small-hour attacks on petty moralists and literary lickspittles in obscure Madrid dives where he chain-smoked and drank gallons of gin.
1993 January 8, James Kirkup, “Obituary: Juan Benet”, in The Independent
In Ottawa, Senator Marjory LeBreton claimed in a speech on Wednesday that allegations of spending abuses by her colleagues were “hyped-up media stories” that were inevitable in a “town populated by Liberal elites and their media lickspittles.”
2013 May 23, “Note to politicians: Stop blaming the media for your problems (Editorial)”, in Globe and Mail, Canada
(by extension) The practice of giving empty flattery for personal gain. examples
third-person singular simple present lickspittles, present participle lickspittling, simple past and past participle lickspittled
(transitive and intransitive) To play the toady; take the role of a lickspittle to please (someone). quotations examples
"[Y]ou take his side, and that is wrong! ...If some young school teacher, or some young lad, lickspittles to him, it's bad enough."
1886, Aylmer and Louise Maude, The Light Shines in Darkness, translation of original by Leo Tolstoy, act 1