Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bow and scrape

/ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: bow and scrape
IPA: /ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/

22

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

1

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back (thus scraping the floor), left hand pressed across the abdomen, right arm held aside.

verb

To behave in a servile, obsequious, or excessively polite manner.

noun

A deep formal bow with right leg drawn back touching the ground.

Example Sentences

"But he is not one of those lawyers who bow and scrape before wealthy clients. He will not be pushed around."
"[H]e took off his Highland bonnet, and performed a bow and scrape."

Inflected Forms

bows and scrapes (present, singular) bowing and scraping (participle, present) bowed and scraped (participle, past) bowed and scraped (past) scrape and bow (alternative) bows and scrapes (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

kowtow

Synonyms

make a leg brownnose fawn suck up apple-polish bootlick bow and scrape butter up dickride duchess fawn over fellate

Questions

How do you pronounce bow and scrape?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/.
What does bow and scrape mean?: To make a deep bow with the right leg drawn back (thus scraping the floor), left hand pressed across the abdomen, right arm held aside.

How to pronounce bow and scrape

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bow and scrape”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌbaʊ ən ˈskɹeɪp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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