toady

toady
[[t]to͟ʊdi[/t]]
toadies, toadying, toadied
1) N-COUNT (disapproval) If you refer to someone as a toady, you disapprove of them because they flatter or are pleasant towards an important or powerful person in the hope of getting some advantage from them.
2) VERB (disapproval) If you say that someone is toadying to an important or powerful person, you disapprove of them because they are flattering or being pleasant towards that person in the hope of getting some advantage from them.

[V to n] They came backstage afterward, cooing and toadying to him. [Also V]


English dictionary. 2008.

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  • toady — toady·ish; toady·ism; toady; …   English syllables

  • toady — n *parasite, sycophant, favorite, lickspittle, bootlicker, hanger on, leech, sponge, sponger toady vb *fawn, truckle, cringe, cower Analogous words: *follow, tag, trail, tail: blandish, cajole, wheedle (see COAX) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • toady — [n] sycophant adulator, apple polisher, ass kisser*, backscratcher*, backslapper*, bootlicker*, brownnoser*, doormat, doter, fan, fawner, flatterer, flunky, groupie*, hanger on*, kiss up*, lackey, minion, teacher’s pet, yesperson*; concept 423… …   New thesaurus

  • toady — [tō′dē] n. pl. toadies [short for TOADEATER, quack doctor s assistant who pretended to eat toads (thought to be poisonous) to show the efficacy of quack medicines] a servile flatterer; sycophant, esp. one who does distasteful or unprincipled… …   English World dictionary

  • Toady — Toad y, n.; pl. {Toadies}. [Shortened from toadeater.] 1. A mean flatterer; a toadeater; a sycophant. [1913 Webster] Before I had been standing at the window five minutes, they somehow conveyed to me that they were all toadies and humbugs.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Toady — Toad y, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Toadied}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Toadying}.] To fawn upon with mean sycophancy. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • toady — index pander, truckle Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • toady — (n.) servile parasite, 1826, apparently shortened from toad eater fawning flatterer (1742), originally referring to the assistant of a charlatan, who ate a toad (believed to be poisonous) to enable his master to display his skill in expelling the …   Etymology dictionary

  • toady — ► NOUN (pl. toadies) ▪ a person who behaves obsequiously towards others. ► VERB (toadies, toadied) ▪ act obsequiously. ORIGIN said to be from toad eater, a charlatan s assistant who ate toads (regarded as poisonous) as a demonstration of the… …   English terms dictionary

  • toady — I UK [ˈtəʊdɪ] / US [ˈtoʊdɪ] noun [countable] Word forms toady : singular toady plural toadies showing disapproval someone who pretends to like a rich or important person in order to get some advantage from them II UK [ˈtəʊdɪ] / US [ˈtoʊdɪ] verb… …   English dictionary

  • toady — toad·y (tō’dē) n. pl. toad·ies ▸ A person who flatters or defers to others for self serving reasons; a sycophant. tr. & intr.v. toad·ied, toad·y·ing, toad·ies ▸ To be a toady to or behave like a toady. See Synonyms at FAWN(Cf. ↑fawn)1 …   Word Histories

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