Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to fawn, to act the sycophant, to toady to someone.

1642		J. Taylor St Hillarie’s Teares 5: The spruce Mistress that had wont to sit in the Bar [...] not to be spoken withall if you would kiss her arse to speake with her, now familiar bids you so hearty welcome.
1656		Mennis & Smith et al. ‘A Song’ Wit and Drollery 30: Thus kindly and in Courtesie, These few lines I have written, And now O love come kisse mine —— For I am all beshitten.
a.1661		‘Bum-Fodder’ Rump Poems and Songs (1662) II 54: Lambert with all his men of Mars, / Have submitted to kiss the Parliaments Arse.
1671		‘L.B.’ New Academy of Complements 131: And thou maist kiss mine Arse Cook, / And all was for a pudden they took.
1681		Dialogue Between Sam, Ferry-man etc. Upon a Parliament at Oxford in Harleian Misc. II (1809) 120: Though his master should bid the speaker, and all the house of commons, kiss his ----, they durst not send a serjeant at arms for him.
1728		[title] Kiss my A-se is no Treason.
1733		Newcastle Courant 1 Dec. 1/2: If you accept my Proposal [...] bid all your Friends in Grub-street, like your Brother Walsingham, Kiss your Br—ch.
1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c 353: The spruce Mistress [...] not to be spoken withal if you would kiss her A---se to speak with her.
1741		‘Conny Keyber’ Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews 13: You are a d—d, impertinent, stinking, cursed, confounded Jade, and I have great mind to kick your A—. You, kiss— says I. A-gad says he, and so I will.
1748		Smollett Roderick Random 26: Here’s a sneaking dog! I always thought him a fellow without a soul, d--n me! a canting scoundrel, who has crept into business by his hypocrisy, and kissing the a-se of everybody.
1751		F. Coventry Hist of Pompey Little I 103: Must I be catechized by a little Sycophant that kisses the A--e of a Minister?
1761		Nancy Dawson’s Jests 13: You may bid the Devil kiss your A--e.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 320: But see to what your bragging comes; / You shake our walls! you kiss our bums.
[c.1785		‘The Agent’s Downfall’ in A. Carpenter Verse in Eng. in 18C Ireland (1998) 408: Though proud , he is humble enough to superiors, / And to carry a point, he’d kiss their p[osterio]rs].
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 77: [as cit. 1772]. [Ibid.] II 156: If any blust’ring son of Mars / Affront you, bid him kiss your a—!
c.1800		‘A Scene in the Election’ in C. Hindley Curiosities of Street Lit. (1871) 69: To serve your purpose you would not mind stooping to kiss my —.
1841		‘Billy Taylor’s Three Square’ Gentleman’s Spicey Songster 12: At length, his fame became so great, / He scarce could thro’ the village pass, / But all widows, wives, and maids, / Were ready to kiss this fellow’s ---.
c.1850		Peeping Tom (London) 22 85/3: If [...] I should never [...] see you more, would you — kiss my —?
1929		E. Dahlberg Bottom Dogs 211: One guy [...] who was a little more hardboiled that the rest said the whole Y.M.C.A. outfit could kiss his ass.
1933		J. Conroy Disinherited 14: It’s better to strike and lose like a man than to kiss the bosses’ fat rumps to hold a job.
1934		H. Miller Tropic of Cancer (1963) 175: I had learned how to kiss the boss’s ass.
1937		E. Anderson Thieves Like Us (1999) 82: I was never cut out to [...] kiss somebody’s behind.
1941		F. Swados House of Fury (1959) 100: Who do you think you are, the Queen a Sheba? Jus’ cause you can sing you want everybody to kiss your ass.
1947		C. Willingham End as a Man (1952) 175: What right has a freshman to win ninety bucks off a senior? You tell me that and I’ll kiss your tail in the middle of the quadrangle.
1948		P. Kavanagh Tarry Flynn (1965) 69: You could be the independentest man in Ireland. You could tell all the beggars to kiss your arse.
1949		I. Shulman Cry Tough! 69: Or maybe you’re memorizin’ my shield number so your uncle who knows the mayor because he kisses the mayor’s ass’ll have me broken.
1952		J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 41: Smith, no less. I’ll kiss your ass in Macy’s window at high noon on Sataday if I ever heard of a Smith in Brooklyn.
1953		‘John Eagle’ Hoodlums (2021) 65: ‘I’ll kiss your butt in Wieboldt’s window if you leave before midnight’.
1953		J. Thompson Savage Night (1991) 7: He’d played up exactly the right customers [...] kissing their tails, making them trust him.
1954		(con. 1920s–30s) J.O. Killens Youngblood (1956) 412: He can kiss my assests.
1960		‘Sam Hall’ in Oscar Brand Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads 47: He looked so bloody glum as he talked of Kingdom Come. / He can kiss my ruddy bum, damn his eyes.
1967		L. Bruce Essential Lenny Bruce 72: I’m not goin ta kiss your ass all day.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Mama Black Widow 74: Ah sho ainh’t gonna kis the behin uh no niggah charity wukur.
1972		Milner & Milner Black Players 65: He [...] told her he was sorry, apologized to her, got very humble, kissed her ass.
1977		J. Sayles Union Dues (1978) 18: So who doesn’t kiss the brown end, one way or another?
1982		G.V. Higgins Patriot Game (1985) 52: You’re telling these lifers that they’ll do at least fifteen unless they kiss your ass.
1985		E. Bogosian Talk Radio (1989) 40: I don’t kiss nobody’s butt—.
1990		R. Campbell Sweet La-La Land (1999) 9: Treating people badly and making them kiss his ass while they hated his guts.
1996		P. Howard The Joy (2015) [ebook] Fuck bosses and career ladders and stress and kissing some suit’s arse every day.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 7: So Sensira did a couple of farting little one-off gigs with the Grams, kissed their arses and humped their gear.
2000		Guardian Editor 7 Jan. 10: Nobody’s kissing my ass, unfortunately.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 152: Sometimes it’s [i.e. success] down to kissing arse.
2011		D.R. Pollock Devil All the Time 206: [W]hat she really wanted [...] was to keep him dependent on her, tied to her apron strings, so he’d always have to kiss her ass.