Did you mean fawn?
Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of caressing or flattering servilely; mean obsequiousness.
Wiktionary
- v. present participle of fawn.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. attempting to win favor by flattery
- adj. attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Etymologies
- Middle English faunen, from Old English fagnian, to rejoice, from fagen, fægen, glad.Middle English, from Old French foun, faon, feon, young animal, from Vulgar Latin *fētō, *fētōn-, from Latin fētus, offspring; see dhē(i)- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“It irked them that Alexander did not mock what they called my fawning barbarian ways, but chose me to compliment his guests of honor.”
The Persian Boy
“I'm SO not usually one of those Austin fawning types.”
“But I guess Bill Clinton's psychotic need for publicity, approval, and fawning is a little more important than the safety of Americans abroad ..... who are now in MORE danger as a result of this stupid publicity stunt.”
North Korea feels 'owed' directs talks with U.S., Richardson says
“Perhaps this dim-bulb mayor, and the MSM in fawning over Klepto Deb, are confusing pragmatist with pilferer or purloiner or maybe larcenist.”
“The Greek is literally said of dogs wagging the tail in fawning on one.”
“These profiles could hardly be called fawning or even admiring.”
The Huffington Post: Peter Dreier: Why Does Anyone Take Andrew Breitbart Seriously?
“Their conspicuous consumption was glamorized by a media that coined fawning new terms to describe them, like "masters of the universe," but forgot relevant old terms, like "robber baron" and "vulgarian.”
“On his next tour, when it came to all the "progress" training the Iraqi army, let Rod Nordland, the author of that "fawning" - his retrospective adjective, not mine - Newsweek cover piece of 2004, suggest an obituary, as he did in 2007:”
“I recall her fawning over him some years ago when he did some extra-special marriage+ thingy.”
“If I were attentive, I was called fawning, if refractory, an obstinate mule, and like a mule I received their censure on my loaded back.”
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