bow and scrape (to someone)
Look at other dictionaries:
bow and scrape — To kowtow, to ingratiate oneself sycophantically • • • Main Entry: ↑bow bow and scrape To be over obsequious • • • Main Entry: ↑scrape * * * behave in an obsequious way to someone in authority * * * bow and scrape : to treat someone who is… … Useful english dictionary
bow and scrape — To say that someone is bowing and scraping means that they are being excessively polite or servile. The President was greeted with much bowing and scraping … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
bow and scrape — to try too hard to please someone in a position of authority. It s embarrassing to see staff bowing and scraping to the new Prime Minister. (often in continuous tenses) … New idioms dictionary
bow — bow1 [ bau ] verb * 1. ) intransitive to bend your body forward from the waist, especially to show respect for someone: Paul rose from his chair, bowed, and left the room. bow to: Do people still have to bow to the Queen? 2. ) intransitive or… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
bow — I UK [baʊ] / US verb Word forms bow : present tense I/you/we/they bow he/she/it bows present participle bowing past tense bowed past participle bowed * 1) [intransitive] to bend your body forwards from the waist, especially to show respect for… … English dictionary
bow — bow1 [bau] v 1.) to bend the top part of your body forward in order to show respect for someone important, or as a way of thanking an ↑audience ▪ She bowed and left the stage. ▪ Corbett entered the room, bowing respectfully. ▪ The servant bowed… … Dictionary of contemporary English
bow — I. /baʊ / (say bow) verb (i) 1. to bend or curve downwards; stoop: the pines bowed low. 2. to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable. 3. to bend the body or head in worship, reverence, respect, or submission. 4. to incline the head or body, or… …
bow — bow1 bowedness, n. bowingly, adv. /bow/, v.i. 1. to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, salutation, recognition, or acknowledgment. 2. to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable. 3. to bend or curve downward;… … Universalium
bow — I [[t]baʊ[/t]] v. i. 1) to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, or salutation 2) to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable[/ex] 3) to bend or curve downward; stoop: The pines bowed low[/ex] 4) to bend or… … From formal English to slang
bow — 1 verb 1 (I) to bend the top part of your body forward in order to show respect for someone important (+ before/to etc): He bowed before the king. 2 (I, T) to bend your body over something, especially in order to see it more closely (+ over):… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
