apple polisher

1 8.7

A person who flatters someone in power to get favours

noun
/ˈæpəl ˈpɑːlɪʃər/

Offensive

: lameculos

Despite his talent, he often feels overshadowed by the apple polisher who ingratiates himself with the higher-ups.

Examples

Everyone can see that she is just an apple polisher trying to win the manager's approval with her constant compliments.
Ever the fucking apple polisher.

Dogma (1999)
Ever the apple polisher.

Fiction book (1999)
At the office, John is known as the apple polisher because he always flatters the boss to get promoted.

Synonyms

flatterer

vsapple polisher

3 4.2

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

is specific to flattering people in authority for advantage

ass-kisser

vsapple polisher

Offensive

3 9.9

A person who flatters someone in charge to get favors

is the general term for flattering those in power to obtain favour

bootlicker

vsapple polisher

Offensive

2 9.6

A person who flatters someone in power to get favors

refers more broadly to flattering authority to win advantage

lickspittle

vsapple polisher

Offensive

1 9.9

A person who praises someone in power to get benefits

describes flattering authority but with less focus on servile actions

schmoozer

vsapple polisher

Informal

1 7.9

A person who talks in a friendly way to get what they want

relies on direct flattering of authority rather than smooth conversational charm

brown-noser

vsapple polisher

Offensive

1 8.3

A person who praises someone in charge too much to gain favor

focuses on flattering authority generally to secure favour or advantage

brown noser

vsapple polisher

Offensive

8.5

A person who praises people in charge to get things they want

is similar but names the general act of flattering authority to gain advantage

fawner

vsapple polisher

Offensive

8.3

A person who praises others too much to gain their favor

highlights flattering authority but not necessarily the extreme timidity

groveler

vsapple polisher

7.7

A person who behaves very humbly to please others or avoid trouble

is more about flattering authority to obtain benefit rather than avoid punishment

truckler

vsapple polisher

Offensive

9.9

A person who tries too hard to please people in power

focuses specifically on flattering authority to gain personal advantage

office buttlicker

vsapple polisher

Offensive

9.9

A person at work who praises their boss too much to get favors

is a more general label for flattering authority to win favour

suckhole

vsapple polisher

Offensive

9.9

A person who praises a boss to get a favor

means flattering authority in general to gain advantage rather than plain admiration

throne sniffer

vsapple polisher

Offensive

9.9

A person who flatters people in charge to gain favor

is the general act of flattering authority to gain advantage rather than only power focus

Antonyms

critic

563 3.0

A person who often finds fault and speaks harshly about others

detractor

33 7.1

A person who says bad things about someone or something to make them seem less good

How Flattering

sycophant

Offensive

17 9.3

apple polisher

Offensive

1 8.7

flatterer

3 4.2

complimenter

1 3.4

Surface Forms

apple polisher singular

apple polishers plural

Morphology

apple + polisher

A B1 learner who knows 'apple' and 'polisher' would most likely interpret the phrase literally (someone who polishes apples); the idiomatic meaning 'a flatterer' is not transparently built from those constituents. The historical/cultural origin that links apple-polishing to flattering is not predictable from the words themselves, so learners need prior exposure to learn the figurative sense.

Etymology

Apple polisher comes from a simple school picture: students would rub and shine an apple to give to a teacher so it looked nice. That's why an apple polisher means someone who flatters a person in charge to get ahead, or 'to gain favor'.