Curry Favor.
English
idiom
To praise someone falsely so they will help you.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To praise someone falsely so they will help you.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To flatter someone so you can get something from them.
Currying favor means the kindness has a motive, usually a promotion, approval, or a deal.
The phrase is a put-down, and nobody uses it about themselves.
"Butter Someone Up"
—
Flatter someone before asking a favor
"Suck Up To Someone"
—
The blunt, informal version of the same thing
"Curry Favor"
—
Flatter someone to gain an advantage
I'd rather present the risks than curry favor with the steering group.
Good. They get enough agreement already. Bring the risks.
Should I take my new boss a coffee every morning?
Do it once because you're nice. Every day starts to look like currying favor.
The tone of that email to the client was very warm.
Too warm. It reads as currying favor rather than confidence.
