Lackey is a direct borrowing into English from the medieval French word laquais
1a : footman sense 2, servant. b : someone who does menial tasks or runs errands for another. 2 : a servile follower : toady. lackey.
Lackey is typically used as a derogatory term for a servant with little or no self-respect who belittles himself in order to gain an advantage . Such advantage is often assumed to be slight, temporary and often illusory.
A lackey is someone who works for someone else and tries to get ahead by kissing up to his superiors . ... From this earliest meaning came the sense of lackey as a “toady” or “sycophant,” someone who fawns and flatters in order to get what they want.
: not provident : not foreseeing and providing for the future .
: one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors : sycophant. toady. verb. toadied; toadying.
without interest , vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic: a lackadaisical attempt. lazy; indolent: a lackadaisical fellow.
1a archaic : a traveler on foot : pedestrian . b : infantryman. 2a : a servant in livery formerly attending a rider or required to run in front of his master’s carriage. b : a servant who serves at table, tends the door, and runs errands.
Meaning of bested in English
to defeat someone in a fight or competition : He bested his opponent in just two rounds. Synonyms. outdo. outflank.
noun A fawning , servile follower; a lickspittle .
A judgment, decree, rule, Injunction, etc., when given or renderedwithout adequate consideration by the court, or without proper information as toall the circumstances affecting it, or based upon a mistaken assumption or misleadinginformation or advice, is sometimes said to have been “improvidently” given or issued.
The majority states that a “bargain is improvident if it unduly advantages the stronger party or unduly disadvantages the more vulnerable” (emphasis ours), and notes that improvidence is measured at the time of contract formation.[ 2]
/ˈhʌz.bənd/ to use something carefully so that you do not use all of it. Synonyms. conserve.
syc·o·phant
(sĭk′ə-fənt, sī′kə-) A person who attempts to gain advantage by flattering influential people or behaving in a servile manner .
characterized by or showing servile obedience and excessive eagerness to please ; deferential; fawning: an obsequious bow;obsequious servants. obedient; dutiful.
effete • ih-FEET • adjective. 1 : no longer fertile 2 a : having lost character, vitality, or strength b : marked by weakness or decadence c : soft or delicate from or as if from a pampered existence 3 : having feminine qualities untypical of a man : not manly in appearance or manner.
Rachel writes about the work world, covering career advice, workplace skills, job searching, and professional development.