bow and scrape

== English == === Alternative forms === scrape and bow === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/ === Verb === bow and scrape (third-person singular simple present bows and scrapes, present participle bowing and scraping, simple past and past participle bowed and scraped) To make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back (thus scraping the floor), left hand pressed across the abdomen, right arm held aside. Synonym: make a leg (idiomatic, by extension) To behave in a servile, obsequious, or excessively polite manner. Synonyms: brownnose, fawn, suck up; see also Thesaurus:suck up 1988 March 27, Newgate Callendar, "Crime" (book review of The Vulgar Boatman by William G. Tapply), New York Times (retrieved 25 Nov 2012): But he is not one of those lawyers who bow and scrape before wealthy clients. He will not be pushed around. ==== Translations ==== === Noun === bow and scrape (plural bows and scrapes) A deep formal bow with right leg drawn back touching the ground. ==== Translations ==== === See also === kowtow === References === “bow and scrape”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === scrape and bow