toady
someone who is artificially pleasant towards others
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Though recent biographers have tried to rehabilitate him, Roman politician Cicero was a political TOADY.
(adapted from The Spectator)
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But wasn't this proof that Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox Broadcasting, was not a real newsman but a Republican party TOADY?
(adapted from the National Review)
(adapted from The Spectator)
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But wasn't this proof that Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox Broadcasting, was not a real newsman but a Republican party TOADY?
(adapted from the National Review)
Did you
know?
toady
noun
- a person who praises and is artificially pleasant to people in authority, usually in order to get some advantage from them
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
First recorded around 1630. Most sources believe toady is a shortened form of the phrase toad eater, which originally referred to the assistant of a charlatan, who ate a toad that was believed to be poisonous. This enabled the charlatan to display his “skill” in eliminating the poison.
Since eating a toad is an unpleasant task, these assistants came to represent people who would do anything for a superior.
(sources: Online Etymology Dictionary, Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, American Heritage Dictionary)
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SYNONYMS
noun:
bootlicker, apple polisher, fawner, flunky, ass kisser, brownnoser, lackey, sycophant, yes-man, yes-woman
verb (to toady):
bootlick, brownnose, kowtow, grovel, fawn, flatter, suck up, sweet talk, truckle
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IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
“Look at the way he constantly follows the boss around. What a toady!”
noun
- a person who praises and is artificially pleasant to people in authority, usually in order to get some advantage from them
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
First recorded around 1630. Most sources believe toady is a shortened form of the phrase toad eater, which originally referred to the assistant of a charlatan, who ate a toad that was believed to be poisonous. This enabled the charlatan to display his “skill” in eliminating the poison.
Since eating a toad is an unpleasant task, these assistants came to represent people who would do anything for a superior.
(sources: Online Etymology Dictionary, Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, American Heritage Dictionary)
---
SYNONYMS
noun:
bootlicker, apple polisher, fawner, flunky, ass kisser, brownnoser, lackey, sycophant, yes-man, yes-woman
verb (to toady):
bootlick, brownnose, kowtow, grovel, fawn, flatter, suck up, sweet talk, truckle
---
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS TODAY
say something like:
“Look at the way he constantly follows the boss around. What a toady!”
