bootlick

English

Etymology

boot +‎ lick

Verb

bootlick (third-person singular simple present bootlicks, present participle bootlicking, simple past and past participle bootlicked)

1. (transitive) To seek favor from by fawning, servile behavior.
   • 2003, Todd DePastino, Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America‎, page 81:

     He had no social position to protect, no employer to bootlick.

2. (intransitive) To engage in fawning, servile behavior.

Noun

bootlick (plural bootlicks)

1. (US) A toady or sycophant.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bartlett to this entry?)