Curry Favor

The Definition

A colloquial idiom meaning to seek someone’s approval, advantage, or "license to print money" through insincere flattery, fawning, or servile behavior. It describes the act of "sticking your nose in" a superior's business in hopes of receiving special treatment or moving up in the "flock."

The Deep Dive

The "junk knowledge" behind "curry favor" is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the spicy dish from India. Instead, it is a linguistic accident involving a legendary "junk" horse and a 14th-century French poem.

  • The "Fauvel" Factor: In the early 1300's, a satirical poem titled Le Roman de Fauvel became a "one-hit wonder" of French literature. The story featured a fallow-colored (yellowish) horse named Fauvel. The horse’s name was an acronym for several vices: Flattery, Avarice, Villany, Fickleness, Envy, and Laziness.

  • The "Currying" Connection: To "curry" a horse is to groom it with a special comb (a currycomb) to make its coat shine. In the poem, powerful leaders—including kings and popes—were depicted as "currying" Fauvel to gain his favor and avoid his wrath. They were literally "brushing the horse of vice" to get what they wanted.

  • The Eggcorn Evolution: When the story moved to England, the French name "Fauvel" sounded a lot like the English word "favor." Over time, people "chickened out" of the complex French allegory and simply began saying they were "currying favor." It is one of history's most successful eggcorns—a phrase that was misheard but made enough "brass tacks" sense to survive.

The phrase reached peak "junk" status in the Tudor court, where "currying favor" was the only way to avoid "getting the axe" from a volatile monarch. It represents the "junk" of ambition: the willingness to "rub someone the right way" even if you find them "barking mad."

Fast Facts

  • The "Brown-Nosing" Rival: While "curry favor" sounds elegant and historical, its modern, more vulgar cousin is "brown-nosing." Both describe the same "junk" behavior, but one comes from the stable and the other from... elsewhere.

  • The "Apple-Polishing" Alternative: In the early 20th century, school children would "curry favor" with teachers by literally polishing an apple for their desk. This was the "as easy as pie" version of the idiom.

  • The "Sycophant" Link: A person who curries favor is often called a sycophant. In ancient Greek, this meant "fig-shower"—someone who would inform on people stealing sacred figs to gain favor with the authorities.

References

  • Gervais de Bus. (c. 1314). Le Roman de Fauvel.

  • Ammer, C. (2013). The Dictionary of Clichés. Skyhorse Publishing.

  • Ayto, J. (1990). Dictionary of Word Origins. Arcade Publishing.