Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US milit.) a toady, a sycophant.

1939		‘Citadel Gloss.’ in AS XIV:1 Feb. 25/1: brown nose, n. A cadet who curries favor.
1948		(con. 1944) N. Mailer Naked and Dead 61: Stanley is the biggest goddam brown-nose in the platoon.
1952		I, Mobster 79: We want our own investigators for this neighbourhood, not a bunch of goddamned brown noses.
1966		D. Westlake Busy Body 31: That’s the kind of guy you are. [...] Brown-nose.
1972		T. O’Brien If I Die in a Combat Zone (1980) 42: ‘Want me to polish the damn thing with a sock?’ ‘Use yer brown nose,’ the Montanan drawls.
1987		(con. c.1967) J. Ferrandino Firefight 149: Watts here is the Cougar Company brown nose.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 207: He couldn’t make a move without [...] loud chants of ‘suckass’ and ‘brown snout’ ringin’ in his ears.
2001		OnLine Dict. of Playground Sl. 🌐 brown nose n. a ‘crawler’ or sycophant. Gets the brown nose from having it stuck up another person’s bum while ‘arse-licking’.
2017		T. Pluck Bad Boy Boogie [ebook] ‘Thought that brown nose looked familiar. You got it up a new ass’.
[2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 120: [H]is brown-vonka and enthusiasm for drudgery [...] his slavery with a smile].
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 528: Know what I call Popes? Gwoupies. Suckers-Up. Bwown-Noses. Lickspittles.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1953		F. Paley Rumble on the Docks (1955) 315: What a brown-nose job the bulls can do when you are nice.
1968		K. Brasselle Cannibals 194: I’d had Irving call his brown-nose announcer and warn him.
1998		Bug (Aus.) 24 Feb. 🌐 They should rename it the Brownnose Medal and give it to whoever comes out with the most idiotic statement of the season.
2003		Brummagem Dict. 🌐 : earhole n. a creep; a brown-nose.