Suck up to (someone)

Thoughtful = considerate         

If you “suck up” to someone, it is an informal way of saying that you are trying to gain someone’s favor or approval by being nice or doing something nice for them. You can suck up to someone by flattering them (giving insincere praise).


1.  Someone who is a teacher’s favorite student is called the “teacher’s pet”. It could be that the student always sucks up to the teacher, or because he/ she is the best student. Were you ever a teacher’s pet? If not, did you resent the student who was the teacher’s pet? What is the best way to suck up to a teacher?

2. In an article on forbes.com, “The Fine Art Of Sucking Up To Your Boss”, it says, “There's an art to sucking up, and if the boss (or your co-workers) can figure out what you're up to, you're not doing it right. More importantly, it will backfire. Your goal is to develop trust between you and your manager, since the projects you work on and whether you get promoted is directly tied to your relationship with him or her.”


3. What some people call sucking up, others may call “self-survival.” It may just be the key to your success at work or elsewhere. We live in societies where many times we have to “play the game” to get somewhere. We live in a world filled with bureaucracy, and often, to get somewhere we have to be friendly and nice to people to get their cooperation. To put it bluntly, we have to suck up.