What does "Brown-nose" mean?

To flatter someone in authority excessively To suck up to bosses or people in power. Crude slang reference.

How do you use "Brown-nose" in a sentence?

Stop brown-nosing. Such a brown-noser. He's always brown-nosing the boss. Brown-nosing won't help.

Brown-nose

Slang Term AmericanBritishAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Very Casual

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Meaning: To flatter someone in authority excessively

过度奉承有权势的人

Adular excesivamente a alguien con autoridad

権力者に過度にお世辞を言う

윗사람에게 지나치게 아첨하다

To suck up to bosses or people in power. Crude slang reference.

拍老板或有权力的人的马屁。粗俗的俚语。

Hacer la pelota a jefes o personas con poder. Jerga vulgar.

上司や権力者にゴマをすること。下品なスラング。

상사나 권력자에게 알랑거리는 것. 저속한 속어 표현.

Examples

Stop brown-nosing.
别拍马屁了
Deja de hacer la pelota
ゴマすりはやめろ
아부 좀 그만해
Such a brown-noser.
真是个马屁精
Menudo pelota
本当にゴマすり野郎だ
정말 아부쟁이야
He's always brown-nosing the boss.
他总是拍老板马屁
Siempre está haciendo la pelota al jefe
彼はいつも上司にゴマをすっている
그는 항상 상사에게 아부하고 있어
Brown-nosing won't help.
拍马屁没用
Hacer la pelota no ayudará
ゴマすりしても無駄だ
아부해봤자 소용없어

Pronunciation

/braʊn nəʊz/

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, criticism, behavior

Tone: derogatory, crude

✓ Do Say

Brown-nose.
拍马屁。
Hacer la pelota.
ゴマをする。
아부하다.
Brown-noser.
马屁精。
Pelota.
ゴマすり。
아부쟁이.
Brown-nosing.
在拍马屁。
Haciendo la pelota.
ゴマすりしてる。
아부하고 있어.

✗ Don't Say

Crude term
粗俗用语
Término vulgar
下品な表現
저속한 표현
Very informal
非常口语化
Muy informal
非常にカジュアル
매우 비격식적

Common Mistakes

Very crude—avoid in formal settings
Universal English

Origin & History

Vulgar American slang from the crude image of excessive flattery.

Etymology: Crude image of excessive flattery

First recorded: American slang from 1930s

Cultural Context

Era: 1930s onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Workplace culture; Universal slang

Regional notes: Universal. American origin. Crude but common.

Variations

Brown-noseBrown-noserBrown-nosing