toadying

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
toady/ˈtəʊdi/

▶noun (pl. toadies)

• 1 a person who behaves obsequiously towards others.

• 2 Australian term for pufferfish.

▶verb (toadies, toadying, toadied) act obsequiously.

– derivatives
toadyish adjective,
toadyism noun.

– origin C19: said to be a contr. of toad-eater, a charlatan's assistant who ate toads (regarded as poisonous) as a demonstration of the efficacy of the charlatan's remedy.