Curry favour
Meaning
To seek to gain approval or special treatment from someone, especially a person in authority, through flattery, subservience, or insincere praise.
Origin
The phrase gallops into English from a medieval French satire, the 'Roman de Fauvel' (circa 1310-1314), starring a horse named Fauvel. This chestnut horse, embodying vanity and corruption, rises to a position of immense power, and everyone, from peasants to popes, rushes to 'curry Fauvel'—meaning to groom him with a curry-comb. This literal act of grooming symbolized flattery and subservience to gain his approval or advantage. When the concept crossed the Channel into English, the proper name 'Fauvel' eventually softened and broadened into the abstract 'favour,' transforming the physical grooming of a horse into the metaphorical act of seeking goodwill through obsequious behavior.
Examples
- The new employee tried to curry favour with the boss by constantly complimenting his ideas during meetings.
- She was always offering to help her supervisor with extra tasks, hoping to curry favour and secure a promotion.