ENGLISH
REFERENCE

kiss someone's ring

idiom
Meaning

To give respect or reverence to someone; to express servitude to someone.


Origin

disputed origin

An allusion to a traditional manner of expressing obediance to a bishop (especially the pope) or king.

Examples
SIMPLE

He refuses to kiss the boss's ring.

CONTEXTUAL

To get the promotion, he had to kiss the manager's ring and agree with every bad idea.

COMPLEX

The ambitious politician knew that to secure the party's nomination, he would eventually have to kiss the ring of the powerful incumbent.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  2. 02

    answer someone's prayers

    To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  3. 03

    answer to someone's prayers

    Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  4. 04

    apple of someone's eye

    The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.

  5. 05

    bane of someone's existence

    Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.

  6. 06

    bash someone's face in

    To beat someone violently.

  7. 07

    bash someone's head

    To beat up someone violently.

  8. 08

    be someone's to lose

    To be anticipated to be won by someone.

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