Association of British Scrabble Players

Culture > Names > Sneaks


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


backscratch to do favours in the hope of return favours; to act obsequiously.
backscratcher one who backscratches.
bootlick to toady.
bootlicker a toady.
browner a sycophantic person.
brownnose (vulg.) to act sycophantically.
brownnoser a sycophant.
bumsucker (vulg.) a toady.
bumsucking sycophancy.
carrytale a sneak, a TALEBEARER.
claque a group of sycophants, hired to applaud.
clawback a flatterer or sycophant.
clipe clype to tell tales.
crawler a toady, a sycophant.
creep a toady, a sycophant.
dob to inform on or betray > DOBS, DOBBING, DOBBED.
dobber one who DOBS, an informer.
fawner one who fawns.
fink a strike-breaker; an informer; (verb) to inform on.
flatter to praise fulsomely.
flatterer one who flatters.
flatterous flattering > FLATTEROUSLY.
flattery the act of flattering.
flunkey flunkie flunky a liveried servant; (fig.) a servile person.
flunkeydom the state of being a FLUNKEY.
flunkeyism the state of being a FLUNKEY.
flunkeyish like a FLUNKEY.
gnathonic obsequious, toadying, parasitical, flattering and deceitful. [L. gnathonicus, derivative of Gnathon- (stem of Gnatho) name of a sycophantic character in the Roman comedy Eunuchus by Terence.]
grass an informant; (verb) to inform on.
grasser a grass, an informer.
grovel to act obsequiously > GROVELS, GROVELING or GROVELLING, GROVELED or GROVELLED.
groveler groveller one who grovels.
informant informer one who informs, tells tales.
kotower kowtower one who KOWTOWS, acts obsequiously > the KOTOW or KOWTOW itself is an old Chinese ceremony of touching the forehead to the ground as a gesture of deference.
lickspit lickspittle a fawning subordinate, a toady.
moiser (Yiddish) an informer.
mouchard (French) a police spy.
myrmidon an unquestioningly loyal follower > MYRMIDONS or MYRMIDONES.
nark a police informer; (verb) to inform on, to annoy. [Romany nak, nose].
obsequious servilely ingratiating; fawning > OBSEQUIOUSLY.
palaverer one who palavers; a flatterer.
peach to sneak, to tell tales.
peacher one who PEACHES.
pickthank someone who seeks to ingratiate himself or herself by officious favours, or by talebearing
pleaseman an officious person who courts favor servilely > PLEASEMEN.
proneur (French) a flatterer.
rat to inform, tell tales.
ratting the act of informing against > RATTINGS.
satellite formerly, an obsequious follower or attendant.
servile slavish, fawning > SERVILELY; (noun) a servile person > SERVILES.
smarmy revealing or marked by a smug, ingratiating, or false earnestness > SMARMIER, SMARMIEST; SMARMILY.
sneak one who tells tales; (verb) to inform, tell tales.
sneakeup a SNEAK.
sneakish like a sneak > SNEAKISHLY.
sneakishness the state of being SNEAKISH.
sneaksby a paltry fellow; a sneak.
sneaky crafty > SNEAKIER, SNEAKIEST; SNEAKILY.
snitch the nose; (verb) to inform on.
snitcher one who SNITCHES, informs.
squeaker something that squeaks; a young bird; an informer.
squealer an informer.
stoolie a stool-pigeon, a police informer.
suckhole a sycophant, a toady; (verb) to act sycophantically > SUCKHOLED, SUCKHOLING.
supergrass a very important police informer.
sycophant one who attempts to gain a personal advantage by servile flattery > SYCOPHANTLY.
talebearer one who tells tales, a sneak.
talebearing the act of bearing tales.
tattle to gossip, tell secrets.
tattletale a tell-tale; (verb) to tell tales.
telltale a sneak, a talebearer.
timeserver a person who cynically or servilely suits his or her opinions to the times or those in authority for the time.
timeserving the action of a TIMESERVER. N.B. no verb TIMESERVE*.
tintookie a fawning or servile person. [From Tintookies, marionettes that appeared on Australian televison in the 1960s].
toadeater a fawning, obsequious parasite.
toady a sycophant; (verb) to act sycophantically.
toadyish like a TOADY.
toadyism the practice of toadying.
truckle to act subserviently, yield to the will of another.
truckler one who truckles.
yeasayer a person who (habitually) agrees or assents.
zany now means a clownish or eccentric person, but used to mean a toady.