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Glite Dictionary
rock licker

rock licker

9.9
A person who gives too many compliments to gain favor
  • noun
  • Offensive
translation icon : lameculo (vulgar)
  • He was labeled a rock licker for constantly complimenting his supervisors.

Examples

  • Trying to be a rock licker didn’t help her career as much as she hoped.

  • Nobody likes a rock licker in the office, so just be genuine.

  • Don't be such a rock licker!

  • He is a notorious rock licker in the office.

  • He was labeled a rock licker for constantly complimenting his supervisors.

  • Nobody likes a rock licker in the office, so just be genuine.

  • Trying to be a rock licker didn’t help her career as much as she hoped.

Synonyms

crawler
vsrock licker
  • Offensive
5 7.7

A person who praises someone in power to get an advantage

covers both flattering speech and submissive acts toward any person for advantage
flatterer
vsrock licker
3 4.2

A person who gives fake praise to get someone's favor

has stronger focus on submissive actions to gain advantage rather than just praise
ass-kisser
vsrock licker
  • Offensive
3 9.9

A person who flatters someone in charge to get favors

leans more toward submissive behaviour rather than only giving praise
bootlicker
vsrock licker
  • Offensive
2 9.6

A person who flatters someone in power to get favors

is not limited to authority, applying to general flattering or subservience
lickspittle
vsrock licker
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who praises someone in power to get benefits

is more about flattering others generally to obtain personal advantage
rat-licker
vsrock licker
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who praises someone in power to get advantages

focuses more on submissive behaviour rather than only praise to gain advantage
suckhole
vsrock licker
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who praises a boss to get a favor

is broader, including submissive acts toward anyone for advantage

How Obsequious

sycophant
  • Offensive
17 9.3
toady
  • Offensive
8 9.0
rock licker
  • Offensive
9.9
brown-noser
  • Offensive
1 8.3
flatterer
3 4.2

Surface Forms

rock licker singular
rock licketers plural

Morphology

rock + licker

The literal constituents ('rock' + 'licker') suggest someone who licks rocks, which has no clear semantic link to flattering or being subservient. The intended meaning is idiomatic and relies on metaphorical use of 'lick' (as in servility) that is not signaled by 'rock', so a B1 learner knowing the parts would not reliably infer the target sense.

Etymology

Rock licker comes from a vivid image of someone so eager to please they would lick a rock, and the licker shows extreme willingness to obey. That's why it means 'to flatter someone or act overly obedient to get ahead'.