puxa-saco

Portuguese

Etymology

Deverbal from puxar saco, from puxa ‎ saco.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌpu.ʃɐˈsa.ku/

• Hyphenation: pu‧xa‧sa‧co

Noun

puxa-saco m or f by sense (plural puxa-sacos)

1. (Brazil, colloquial, derogatory) sycophant, apple polisher (one who uses compliments to gain self-serving favour or advantage from another person)

   Synonyms: baba-ovo, bajulador, adulador, lambe-botas, paga-pau

   • 2018 November 13, “A espada” (8:10 from the start), in She-Ra e as Princesas do Poder, season 1, episode 1 (streaming), spoken by Felina (Fernanda Baronne), Rio de Janeiro: Gramophone, dubbing of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: The Sword, via Netflix:

     Seria bem mais fácil se eu fosse uma puxa-saco como você.

     [original: I guess it sure must be easy being a people-pleaser like you.]

     It would be way easier if I were a sycophant like you.

Derived terms

• puxa-saquismo

Further reading

• “puxa-saco”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024