lapping up
Tongue-drinking with relish
Lapping up combines literal and figurative senses of eager consumption.
Animals lap up liquids with their tongues: The cat lapped up the spilled milk.
People lap up praise, attention, or flattery—accepting it eagerly and uncritically: The crowd lapped up every word of his speech.
The phrase suggests greedy, undiscriminating reception.
- slurpingDrinking with audible suction
- absorbingHolding attention completely
- lickingTongue contact repeatedly
- licking cleanRemoving all residue orally
- consumptionUsing up of resources
soaking up · bask · sucking · revel · lick up · devouring · drinking · relish · soak in · guzzle · embrace · indulge · receptive · cat · mopping · intake · kitten · puppy dog
lapping upsipping
Drinking in small mouthfuls
nursing a drink · savoring · nibbling · picking at · tasting
lapping uprejecting
Refusing to accept
spurning · dismissing · refusing · ignoring · rebuffing
lapping upspitting out
Ejecting from the mouth
spewing · vomiting · expelling · disgorging · regurgitating