Pickthank, now an archaic and literary term, denotes a sycophant who curries favor. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Pickthank”
I happened across a handy word the other day, pick thank.
That’s spelled P-I-C-K-T-H-A-N-K.
Pick thank.
Pick thank.
How old are we talking here?
100, 200, 300 years?
At least back to 1460.
Okay, is this a rude word?
No, it’s not rude.
It’s archaic and literary.
You really don’t hear it much anymore, but it’s a handy one.
Okay, so is this something you would yell across the parking lot at somebody who dinged your car?
No, so not rude.
Not that rude either.
Okay.
No, not that rude, but you might use it to describe someone you don’t really respect.
Noah Webster defined a pick-thank as a whispering parasite or an officious fellow.
And it’s a person who curries favor with another person by informing against somebody else.
So sort of a flatterer or a sycophant.
Oh, okay.
Yeah, a butt-kisser.
Yeah, it’s sort of the same idea as curry favor.
You know, when you try to pick a thank from somebody, you’re trying to extract something by being obsequious.
Oh, yeah. And curry favor, a lot of times the metaphor there escapes people.
To curry a horse is to brush it, right?
Exactly.
So to curry favor means to groom somebody so that they’ll give you praise and pleasantries.
Yes, yes, exactly.
So pick thank is not a kind word, but I like it.
It’s kind of like picking, instead of picking lice, you’re picking thanks.
Right.
