to kiss someone's ring
- idiom
- Informal
:
besar el anillo de alguien
- And as I observed, all these Italian males lined up to kiss his ring.
Examples
-
You gotta kiss his ring like he was the Pope.
-
In the world of business, some employees kiss someone's ring to secure important promotions.
-
I wanna kiss his ring and have it go:
-
Many politicians feel they must kiss someone's ring to gain favor with influential leaders.
-
During negotiations, it is common for junior employees to kiss someone's ring in order to show respect to their superiors.
Synonyms
16
7.9
Say nice things to someone to get their help or a reward
12
9.2
To behave very obediently to please a person in power
8
9.5
To try to please someone in power to get an advantage
3
9.4
Behave too politely and humbly to please someone
1
8.4
To show loyalty and obey a powerful person
Praise or act very friendly toward a boss to get something for yourself
Antonyms
How Deferential
42
7.4
- Informal
30
3.7
- Formal
36
6.2
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal image of physically kissing a person's ring clearly suggests deference or submission, so a B1 learner who knows 'kiss', 'someone's', and 'ring' can infer a basic meaning of showing respect. However, the phrase carries specific pragmatic and sometimes pejorative nuances (overly servile or ritualized deference) and relies on cultural practices that are not fully predictable from the parts, so full understanding typically requires exposure.
Etymology
The phrase kiss someone's ring comes from a real action in courts and churches, where people would kiss a leader's ring to show respect or loyalty. That's why today it means 'to show respect or submission', often in a way that seems too eager.