Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
sich anbiedern
English translation:
ingratiate oneself with, suck up to sb.
Added to glossary by
OlafK
Jan 8, 2003 22:53
21 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term
sich anbiedern
Non-PRO
German to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
no particular context, I would just like to know how you would translate it, for example in, "Er biederte sich bei ihr an."
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Oct 3, 2011 14:22: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "(none)" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"
Proposed translations
+7
1 hr
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Specializes in field
Germany
Quality Translations since 1986
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, German, and 6 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
109
Selected
to suck up to / to lick up to / to bootlick
I understand it to refer to someone who uses flattery in the hope of gaining favours, IOW a lickarse / arse-licker / bootlicker etc.
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Note added at 2003-01-09 00:16:09 (GMT)
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to ingratiate oneself with someone
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Note added at 2003-01-09 00:16:09 (GMT)
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to ingratiate oneself with someone
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks, Cilian, and everybody else. You have been very helpful. My dictionary had "curry favour" which I had never heard (and "ingratiate oneself" vor "sich einschmeicheln" which I was familiar with) but "to suck up to sb" was the expression I was looking for but couldn't think of. It is certainly colloquial. But it doesn't sound vulgar to me. Has watching British TV made me insensitive?"
+2
7 mins
to get friendly / to get chummy
the first is nicer and more positive than the second
11 mins
He is playing up to me.
anbiedern is not a very frequently used word anymore. Usually it has a negative ring to it.
20 mins
Pro Lingua
Your resource for translations.
Native in: Slovak
Works in: German to Slovak, English to Slovak, French to Slovak, and 7 more.
to make friends with
sich anbiedern an - to make friends with; to intrude on; to chum up with (fam)
Ref.: Pons
Ref.: Pons
+2
22 mins
Johannes Gleim
Native in German
40 years Engineer, 20 years translations
Native in: German
Works in: English to German, German to English, French to German, and 6 more.
to try to get pally with sb.
alternatives:
to curry favour,
to chat up
to curry favour,
to chat up
Reference:
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Sheila Hardie
: I was just going to say 'to curry favour with someone' :-)
0 min
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thank you
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| agree |
sylvie malich (X)
12 hrs
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thank you, too
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1 hr
Yngve Roennike
Native in English
Hyperglot..
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: Swedish to English, Danish to English, Norwegian to English, and 37 more.
fawn on sby
very common expression.
To act servilely; cringe and flatter.
To act servilely; cringe and flatter.
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