Adjacent Words
To crush outTo cry aim
To cry cupboard
To cry down
To cry halves
To cry on
To cry out
To cry out against
To cry out on
To cry quits
To cry to
To cry up
To cry you mercy
To cudgel one's brains
To curry favel
To curse by bell
To curse by bell book and candle
To cut
To cut a caper
To cut a curlycue
To cut a dash
To cut a dido
To cut a feather
To cut a figure
To cut a play
To cut across
To cut and run
To cut down
To cut lots
To cut off
Full-text Search for "To curry favor"
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To curry favor definitions
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Webster's 1913 Dictionary
Favor Fa"vor, n. [Written also favour.] [OF. favor, F. faveur, L. favor, fr. favere to be favorable, cf. Skr. bh[=a]vaya to further, foster, causative of bh[=u] to become, be. Cf. Be. In the phrase to curry favor, favor is prob. for favel a horse. See 2d Favel.] 1. Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will. Hath crawled into the favor of the king. --Shak. 2. The act of countenancing, or the condition of being countenanced, or regarded propitiously; support; promotion; befriending. But found no favor in his lady's eyes. --Dryden. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. --Luke ii. 52. 3. A kind act or office; kindness done or granted; benevolence shown by word or deed; an act of grace or good will, as distinct from justice or remuneration. Beg one favor at thy gracious hand. --Shak. 4. Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity. I could not discover the lenity and favor of this sentence. --Swift. 5. The object of regard; person or thing favored. All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, His chief delight and favor. --Milton. 6. A gift or represent; something bestowed as an evidence of good will; a token of love; a knot of ribbons; something worn as a token of affection; as, a marriage favor is a bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a wedding. Wear thou this favor for me, and stick it in thy cap. --Shak. 7. Appearance; look; countenance; face. [Obs.] This boy is fair, of female favor. --Shak. 8. (Law) Partiality; bias. --Bouvier. 9. A letter or epistle; -- so called in civility or compliment; as, your favor of yesterday is received. 10. pl. Love locks. [Obs.] --Wright. Challenge to the favor or for favor (Law), the challenge of a juror on grounds not sufficient to constitute a principal challenge, but sufficient to give rise to a probable suspicion of favor or bias, such as acquaintance, business relation, etc. See Principal challenge, under Challenge. In favor of, upon the side of; favorable to; for the advantage of. In favor with, favored, countenanced, or encouraged by. To curry favor [see the etymology of Favor, above], to seek to gain favor by flattery, caresses, kindness, or officious civilities. With one's favor, or By one's favor, with leave; by kind permission. But, with your favor, I will treat it here. --Dryden. Syn: Kindness; countenance; patronage; support; lenity; grace; gift; present; benefit.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
Curry Cur"ry (k?r"r?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curried (-r?d); p. pr. & vb. n. Currying.] [OE. curraien, curreien, OF. cunreer, correier, to prepare, arrange, furnish, curry (a horse), F. corroyer to curry (leather) (cf. OF. conrei, conroi, order, arrangement, LL. conredium); cor- (L. com-) + roi, rei, arrangement, order; prob. of German origin, and akin to E. ready. See Ready, Greith, and cf. Corody, Array.] 1. To dress or prepare for use by a process of scraping, cleansing, beating, smoothing, and coloring; -- said of leather. 2. To dress the hair or coat of (a horse, ox, or the like) with a currycomb and brush; to comb, as a horse, in order to make clean. Your short horse is soon curried. --Beau. & FL. 3. To beat or bruise; to drub; -- said of persons. I have seen him curry a fellow's carcass handsomely. --Beau. & FL. To curry favor, to seek to gain favor by flattery or attentions. See Favor, n.
