Definition
A person who acts overly nice or flattering to someone more powerful in hopes of getting special treatment.
Etymology
From 'toad-eater,' a historical term for a charlatan's assistant who would eat toads to prove the master's fake poison cure worked. The association with low, sycophantic behavior evolved because toads were considered repulsive creatures.
Kelly Says
This word perfectly captures the social hierarchy of medieval traveling shows—the toad-eater was literally at the bottom of the trick, eating actual toads while the con artist played the hero!
Translations
DEDeutsch
Schmeichler
shmy-khler
ELΕλληνικά
φιλικό
fee-lee-ko
ESEspañol
chismoso
chis-moh-soh
FRFrançais
flatteur
flat-tur
HUMagyar
szépségkirály
shep-seg-kee-ra-ly
IDBahasa Indonesia
pembantu
pem-ban-tu
ITItaliano
pappagallo
pa-pa-gal-lo
JA日本語
お調子者
o-cho-shi-mono
KO한국어
부드러운 사람
bu-deu-reu-un sa-ram
MSBahasa Melayu
pembantu
pem-ban-tu
NLNederlands
knikker
knik-ker
PLPolski
słodkoton
slod-ko-ton
PTPortuguês
bajulador
ba-zhu-la-dor
RORomână
slujitor
sloo-jee-tor
RUРусский
лебедь
le-bed-y
SVSvenska
smäcker
smek-er
SWKiswahili
mchawi
m-cha-wi
TAதமிழ்
சொல்லக்காரன்
sol-la-ka-ran
TEతెలుగు
గుణపూర్ణుడు
gu-na-poo-rnu-du
TLTL
mapagpalaki
ma-pa-gpal-a-ki
TRTürkçe
yönlendirici
yon-len-di-ri-ci
UKУкраїнська
ляльковий
lyal-ko-viy
VITiếng Việt
người xu nịnh
ngoi xu-ning
ZH中文
阿谀奉承
a-yu-feng-cheng