play kissy face

verb phrase

1. To kiss someone amorously, especially in public. The model and movie star has reportedly been playing kissy-face with an unknown love interest.

The teacher yelled at the two students for playing kissy-face in the back of class.

2. To ingratiate oneself to someone through excessively flattering, fawning, or solicitous overtures.

Farlex Dictionary

---
WORD ORIGIN

To fully understand the context of the expression "kissy face", think back to your childhood. Remember the age when boys thought little girls were "yucky" (something akin to "eklig") and little girls avoided boys at all costs because they carried around things like frogs in their pockets? The expression "kissy face" conjures up the image of a group of children pointing and laughing at one of their comrades on the playground after discovering that he or she "likes" someone of the opposite gender.

In some respects, we never grow up. The media often reports sightings of some prominent person "playing kissy face", as if Hollywood stars, sports heroes and politicians should not be allowed public displays of affection.

The expression is also used in a figurative sense as a cynical way of describing superficial flattery, particularly between people who are normally adversaries. Also note that the expression is frequently used together with the verb "play".

---
SYNONYMS

(to kiss) make-out, muzzle, neck, osculate, peck, pet, pucker up, smooch

(suck up to) be obsequious/servile/sycophantic, kowtow, bow and scrape

---
Practice OWAD today:

"Company X and Y have been playing KISSY FACE recently. There is now speculation about a merger."