Polish the apple
Try to win favor through flattery, as in It may help your standing with the boss if you polish the apple. This expression gave rise to the phrase apple polishing. The idiom alludes to the practice of schoolchildren bringing their teacher the gift of a bright, shiny apple. [ c. 1920 ]
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noun 1. a wheat, Triticum polonicum, grown chiefly in S Europe, N Africa, and Turkestan.
- Polit.
1. . 2. .
- Politbureau
[pol-it-byoo r-oh, poh-lit-, puh-lit-] /ˈpɒl ɪtˌbyʊər oʊ, ˈpoʊ lɪt-, pəˈlɪt-/ noun 1. (often lowercase) the executive committee and chief policymaking body of a Communist Party. /ˈpɒlɪtˌbjʊərəʊ/ noun 1. the executive and policy-making committee of a Communist Party 2. the supreme policy-making authority in most Communist countries n. “highest policy-making committee of the U.S.S.R.,” 1927, from […]
- Politburo
[pol-it-byoo r-oh, poh-lit-, puh-lit-] /ˈpɒl ɪtˌbyʊər oʊ, ˈpoʊ lɪt-, pəˈlɪt-/ noun 1. (often lowercase) the executive committee and chief policymaking body of a Communist Party. /ˈpɒlɪtˌbjʊərəʊ/ noun 1. the executive and policy-making committee of a Communist Party 2. the supreme policy-making authority in most Communist countries n. “highest policy-making committee of the U.S.S.R.,” 1927, from […]
- Polite
[puh-lahyt] /pəˈlaɪt/ adjective, politer, politest. 1. showing good manners toward others, as in behavior, speech, etc.; courteous; civil: a polite reply. 2. refined or cultured: polite society. 3. of a refined or elegant kind: polite learning. /pəˈlaɪt/ adjective 1. showing regard for others, in manners, speech, behaviour, etc; courteous 2. cultivated or refined: polite society […]