Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a toady, a sycophant.

1939		J. Weidman What’s In It For Me? 127: I’d seen ass-lickers before, but my God!
1967		J. Burke Till Death Us Do Part 97: You’re a right old licker you are. [...] Bowing and scraping here just because he’s a Lord.
1970		P. Larkin ‘Poem About Oxford’ in Coll. Poems (1988) 179: City we shared without knowing [...] Till we left, and were glad to be going / (Unlike the arselicker who stays).
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 109: He’s surrounded by so many arse-lickers.
1997		Bug (Aus.) 1 Oct. 🌐 Good doses of unemployment and starvation wages will make us a nation of arse-lickers.
2000		Guardian 26 Feb. 13: My time of being an arse-licker for famous ‘tops’ is over.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 8/1: arse licker n. 1 (also bumlicker) an inmate who ingratiates himself with prison officials in order to get through his sentence easily.
2009		P. Temple Truth 98: Bob Villani's Army life, had he taken orders from dickheads and arselickers like this man?

2. a person who licks another’s anus for sexual pleasure.

1982		H. Beaton Outside In Act II: sandy: ARSELICKER! DOG! CUNT! kate: PIG FUCKER!!!
1987		‘Victoria Parker’ Pay for Play Cheerleaders 🌐 Mr. Towson clutched and pinched Chrissie’s ass, and his tongue danced with a furious frenzy on her bugger hole. ‘Ass-licker!’ Chris shouted. ‘Dirty ass-licker!’.

3. (N.Z. prison) an informer.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 8/1: arse licker 2. an informer.

4. (N.Z. prison) a general term of abuse; esp. a gullible invidiual, a ‘sucker’.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 8/1: arse licker 3. a person who is easily conned [...] 5. a general termn of abuse.

5. (N.Z. prison) a child molester.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 8/1: arse licker 4. a child molester.

sycophancy, grovelling.

1912		D.H. Lawrence in Lawrence Memoirs (1961) 189: [Written in D.H.L.’s hand over a flattering letter] Arse-licking [OED].
1982		J. Davis Dreamers 84: Arse-lickin’ I call it, you’re just scareda gettin’ belted up.
1986		B. Geldof Is That It? 151: I thought of all the arse-licking, the hype, the false politeness.
1993		(con. 1945) S. McAughtry Touch and Go 137: It’s too much like the airforce, you know, rank and promotion, and arse-licking.
1998		I. Welsh Filth 314: Stronach, now bolstered by Lennox’s arse-licking, has stopped trying to compete with Dolacre.
2000		Indep. Rev. 21 Jan. 11: He thinks Hollywood’s got a ‘really sick kind of arse-licking hierachy to it’.
2020		G. Disher Consolation 108: ‘Just ordinary, everyday arselicking is appropriate’.

1. extremely servile, grovelling.

[1792		H.H. Brackenridge Modern Chivalry (1937) Pt I Vol. I Bk IV 43: It is your scratching, rump-tickling people, that get into place and power].
1954		K. Amis letter 19 Jan. in Leader (2000) 361: FLITHY ARSELICKING URINESPEAK.
1967		Oz 3 13: Ill-written, unutterably boring, lying, arse-licking speeches.
1986		J.B. Keane Bodhrán Makers 305: Better to be with him than at the mercy of contrary priests and arse-lickin’ holy Josies.
1993		(con. 1918) P. Barker Eye in the Door 31: Bugger off back to London you greasy, arse-licking little sod.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 22: The attention she’s got from the ass-lickin’ clipboard crew.
1999		T. Parker South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut [film script] Shut your fucking face, uncle fucka. You’re a cocksucking, asslicking uncle fucka.
2000		Indep. Rev. 21 Jan. 11: He thinks Hollywood’s got a ‘really sick kind of arse-licking hierachy to it’.

2. exaggerated.

2001

N. Barlay Hooky Gear 196: We head to wha Farooq tells me is a haulage yard. Turn out to be a right arselick description for a shed sinkin in mud.