lapdog

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small, tame dog that can be held comfortably on a person's lap

   The elderly spaniel had spent most of its life as a pampered lapdog.

2. 2
   noun

   disapproving: a person or organization that obediently serves someone powerful

   Critics accused the newspaper of acting as the minister's political lapdog.

A compound of lap + dog, originally naming a dog small enough to sit on a person's lap. The figurative use compares an excessively obedient dependent or supporter to a pampered pet that stays close to its owner.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images