toady
verb/ˈtəʊdi/
/ˈtəʊdi/
[intransitive] (disapproving)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they toady | /ˈtəʊdi/ /ˈtəʊdi/ |
| he / she / it toadies | /ˈtəʊdiz/ /ˈtəʊdiz/ |
| past simple toadied | /ˈtəʊdid/ /ˈtəʊdid/ |
| past participle toadied | /ˈtəʊdid/ /ˈtəʊdid/ |
| -ing form toadying | /ˈtəʊdiɪŋ/ /ˈtəʊdiɪŋ/ |
- toady (to somebody) to treat somebody more important with special respect or kind treatment in order to gain their favour or help
- I’m not prepared to toady to him just to save my job.
Word Originearly 19th cent.: said to be a contraction of toad-eater, a charlatan's assistant who ate toads; toads were regarded as poisonous, and the assistant's survival was thought to be due to the effects of the charlatan's remedy.Want to learn more?
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toady