0%

bow and scrape

bow and scrape
B b

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [bou and skreyp]
    • /baʊ ænd skreɪp/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [bou and skreyp]
    • /baʊ ænd skreɪp/

Definitions of bow and scrape words

  • noun bow and scrape to behave in an excessively deferential or obsequious way 3
  • noun bow and scrape to behave with excessive humility 3
  • noun bow and scrape to be too polite and ingratiating 3
  • verb without object bow and scrape to bend the knee or body or incline the head, as in reverence, submission, salutation, recognition, or acknowledgment. 1
  • verb without object bow and scrape to yield; submit: to bow to the inevitable. 1
  • verb without object bow and scrape to bend or curve downward; stoop: the pines bowed low. 1
See all 19 definitions of bow and scrape

Information block about the term

Origin of bow and scrape

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English bowen (v.), Old English būgan; cognate with Dutch buigen; akin to German biegen, Gothic biugan, Old Norse buga, etc.

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Bow and scrape

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Bow and scrape

bow and scrape popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

bow and scrape usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for bow and scrape

verb bow and scrape

  • bow — When you bow to someone, you briefly bend your body towards them as a formal way of greeting them or showing respect.
  • curtsy — If a woman or a girl curtsies, she lowers her body briefly, bending her knees and sometimes holding her skirt with both hands, as a way of showing respect for an important person.
  • grovel — to humble oneself or act in an abject manner, as in great fear or utter servility.
  • kowtow — to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference.
  • stoop — to bend the head and shoulders, or the body generally, forward and downward from an erect position: to stoop over a desk.
All 5 Synonyms of bow and scrape

See also

Matching words

Was this page helpful?
Yes No
Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page
Tell us why?