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Lickspittle: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Lickspittle noun. A person who flatters and grovels to those in power.
How to say it
LIK-spit-ul/ˈlɪkspɪt(ə)l/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (LIK). Forms: lickspittles.
Lickspittle in a sentence
The chairman surrounded himself with lickspittles who laughed at all his jokes.
Only a lickspittle would praise that speech.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- toady
- sycophant
- bootlicker
- flunkey
Where lickspittle comes from
From lick and spittle: someone servile enough to lick another's spit.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Only a _____ would praise that speech.
- malapropism
- lickspittle
- smellfungus
Show the answer
lickspittle: Only a lickspittle would praise that speech.