cozy up
phr. v..phr. v.. to move close to someone to get warm or show affection; it also means being extra nice to someone to get a favor.
phr. v.. to move into a position of physical closeness for comfort; figuratively, to ingratiate oneself with someone for personal gain or social advantage.
The cat likes to cozy up to me on the sofa.
He tried to cozy up to the boss right before the yearly promotions were announced.
While the lobbyists attempted to cozy up to the new ministers, the public remained skeptical of their sudden displays of friendship.
- Particles
- up
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- cozy + up + to + object
usually followed by the preposition 'to' and a person or a comfortable object.
highlight the shift from the literal physical sense (warmth/comfort) to the metaphorical social sense (manipulation/flattery).
He cozied up with the manager.He cozied up to the manager.the standard preposition following this phrasal verb is 'to' when referring to the person being approached.