curried favor
Ingratiated oneself strategically
Curried favor is the past tense of curry favor, meaning to have sought approval through flattery or obsequious behavior.
The phrase comes from a medieval French satire about a cunning horse named Fauvel; to "curry Fauvel" was to groom this deceitful beast, hence to ingratiate oneself through servile means.
She curried favor with the boss by laughing at his jokes.
He had curried favor for years before finally getting promoted.
- ingratiateSeek another's approval
- kiss upFlatter obsequiously for gain
- giftItem given freely
- political maneuveringStrategic power-seeking tactics
- bowRespectful forward inclination
smile · butter up · fawn · suck up · kowtow · charm · brownnose · brown nosing · hierarchy · schmooze · patronage · networking · social climbing · horse grooming · flatter · social capital · opportunism · etymology
- fawnedgroveled, kowtowed, toadied, flattered, bootlicked
curried favortold it like it is
Communicated harsh reality directly
spoke one's mind · plain dealing · candor · straight talk · forthrightness
curried favorburned bridges
Destroyed relationships permanently
alienated · antagonized · spoke one's mind · rebelled · rocked the boat
curried favorstood up to
Confronted without retreating
resisted · pushed back · stood one's ground · asserted oneself
curry, curried, currying, curries, favor, favour, favored, favoured, favoring