a flatterer; toady
a person who tries to get favours from those in authority through flattery
a person who seeks for promotion or rewards from higher ups by singing their praises or complimenting them
a person who mostly says false things to those in authority in order to get something in return
polish the apple
Even with her boss looking very untidy, Mel still complimented her and this showed her to be an apple polisher.
Michael is such an apple polisher.
It’s not good to be seen as an apple polisher as people would always doubt your intentions.
It is better to be honest with people than to tell them false things and be taken as an apple polisher.
It’s not good to polish the apple for your teacher for getting extra marks.
I will never polish the apple for my boss, I believe in honesty and hard working.
I can’t be an apple polisher of such nutter, we need to protest.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.