throne sniffer
- noun
- Offensive
:
lameculos (vulgar)
- He was known as a throne sniffer because he always praised the manager to gain her favor.
Examples
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People disliked the throne sniffer for always flattering those in charge.
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He gained a reputation as a throne sniffer after always agreeing with the boss.
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Rather than speaking his mind, he chose the path of a throne sniffer at court.
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Don't be such a throne sniffer!
-
Many throne sniffers surround the CEO.
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The throne sniffer often flattered the team leaders to climb the corporate ladder.
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Everyone knew that being a throne sniffer would not get them genuine respect in the office.
Synonyms
17
9.3
A person who praises someone important to get favors
5
7.7
A person who praises someone in power to get an advantage
3
4.2
A person who gives fake praise to get someone's favor
3
9.9
A person who flatters someone in charge to get favors
2
9.6
A person who flatters someone in power to get favors
1
9.9
A person who praises someone in power to get benefits
1
8.7
A person who flatters someone in power to get favours
A person who praises people in charge to get things they want
A person who praises others too much to gain their favor
A person who praises a boss to get a favor
A person who praises someone too much to get something in return
A person who tries to gain someone's favor for personal advantage
Antonyms
How Obsequious
- Offensive
2
9.6
- Offensive
- Offensive
8
9.0
- Offensive
17
9.3
3
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
throne + sniffer
While 'throne' clearly signals authority or power, 'sniffer' literally denotes someone who smells and does not conventionally mean a flatterer; the connection to excessive flattery is a metaphorical/pejorative extension that requires pragmatic inference. As a slang compound, learners might guess it targets someone close to power in a negative way, but a B1 learner who knows the parts would unlikely derive the precise sense of fawning without prior exposure.
Etymology
Throne sniffer comes from the image of someone literally sniffing the ruler's throne to find where power sits and who is important. The sniffer part shows a person who stays close and flatters those in charge, so the phrase means someone who praises the powerful to 'gain favor'.