You guys might already know this word. I know I've heard it before, and I even know that it's a word I would not like to be associated with. But do I really know what it means? Well, when one of the professors at the university here decided to use it in an email to me in regards to one of the students in our graduate program who took his course (ouch!). I thought I'd look it up to make sure.
Turns out upon further investigation, I didn't have a firm grasp of the word previously. But now that I've checked, I can read or use or refer to it without hesitation. It's a fun word. It makes me wish I insulted people more often so I'd have more opportunity to use it. Word like this do that. And words like dungus-head. Or k-nigget. Too bad.
Which brings me to another thought..... If they used words like stapler or fax to describe people negatively, would people like being negative a lot less?
In case you too were unsure, here it is:
Sycophant
function: noun
definition: a servile, self-seeking flatterer.
synonom: parasite
Like I said, "Ouch!". Best wishes to you in avoiding the aquaintance of or other involvement with sycophants in the near future.
3 comments:
What a kind-hearted professor...however, I'm sure there are many sycophantical professors out there too. Yeah, I'm hoping I'll never have to use this one, however, it's a good word to use when you really need to blow off steam and let someone zing:)!
Also, I agree, stapler or fax just doesn't cut it!
p.s.
did you hear that Jeremy and Larene had their baby last night!!
Is it odd that I already knew this word?
Oh yes, this happens to be one of my favorite discoveries. I think I first found it in the book "Magnificent Obsession" (maybe not, but close). I looked it up and thought it was cool, then would forget it and look it up again. Then once I was watching an interview with Prince William and he totally used it...I felt so cool that I knew what it meant then.
THEN sometime I taught it to my little brother when we were talking about words one day and he saw it on an episode of "The Simpsons"! Can you believe it! So funny. The guy who is like the servant of the rich old dude on the show was learning how to say ridiculously flattering things to some visiting buisness guys and the tape he was learning from was called "Sycophantic German." Awesome.
And, J.K. Rowling uses it in one of the Harry Potter books. :)
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