tug one's forelock
Display servile respect
To tug one's forelock is to show exaggerated deference or servility to someone of higher status.
The expression comes from the old practice of lower-class men grasping and pulling the front of their hair as a gesture of respect when encountering social superiors.
Now used critically to describe obsequious behavior: He's always tugging his forelock to management.
- curtsyRespectful knee-bending gesture
- eat humble pieAdmit error humbly
- bend the kneeCeremonial act of submission
- kneelBend legs to ground
- genuflectBend knee reverently
kiss the ring · kowtow · bow · toe the line · salute · play second fiddle · feudalism · vassalage · serfdom · nod · prostrate · lick someone's boots · cap in hand · servitude · caste system · grovel · bow and scrape · patronage
tug one's forelockstand one's ground
Refuse to back down
assert oneself · talk back · speak truth to power · defy · rebel
tug one's forelockstand tall
Maintain dignity under pressure
hold one's head high · self-respecting · stand on one's dignity · uppity · proud
tug, tugs, tugged, tugging, tugboat, one, ones, fore, forelock