Asskissing

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of engaging in sycophantic behavior towards someone of higher rank involves both uncritical praise and submission to their authority
2. The behavior of excessively flattering someone in power includes both insincere compliments and the demonstration of subservience to their wishes
3. Engaging in obsequious flattery towards an individual of higher status entails offering both exaggerated praise and a willingness to comply with their desires

Etymology: "Asskissing" is a closed compound: "ass" (the animal, and by extension a fool or a rear end) plus "kissing," the gerund of "kiss." Its closest relative is the older and more widely recognised "ass-kisser," written with a hyphen, and the two are treated as the same expression. The form without the hyphen is simply the spelling that has fused into a single word. The image behind it is physical and deliberately crude. To kiss someone's backside is to abase yourself before them, and the gesture has long stood for flattery pushed to the point of humiliation. Because "ass" also meant a stupid or stubborn person, the phrase carried a double insult in its original setting, mocking both the groveller and the superior being groveled to.

Synonyms: flattery, fawning, sycophancy, adulation, ingratiation

Antonyms: criticism, disparagement, denunciation, condemnation, rebuke