Meanings
Originally from a French poem Roman de Fauvel, written in the early 1300s; Fauvel was a conniving stallion, and the play was a satire on the corruption of social life. The name Fauvel points to the French fauve (“chestnut, reddish-yellow, or fawn”), another sense of fauve meaning the class of wild animals whose coats are at least partly brown, and the medieval belief that a fallow horse was a symbol of deceit and dishonesty. The phrase curry Fauvel, then, referred to currying (“combing”) the horse, and was altered (as folk etymology) by later speakers to curry favor.
How to pronounce "curry favor":
AU
To seek to gain favor by flattery or attention.
Example Sentences
1
She is always flattering her boss, trying to curry favor with him.
2
The politician promised tax cuts in an attempt to curry favor with voters.
3
He gave expensive gifts to the judge to curry favor in the court case.
4
The employee helped out with extra projects to curry favor with the supervisor.
5
She invited her colleagues to dinner as a way to curry favor and improve work relationships.
