Brown-Nosing

Part of Speech: Verb

Definition: ā€œto ingratiate oneself with : curry favor withā€

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brownnose

Found In: ā€œAll-American Girlā€ by Julia Alvarez line 14 – ā€œas brown-nosing or cries of alegriaā€

Explain: The word brown-nosing means to act nice or use flattery to gain favors. This helps me better understand the poem because she is saying that if being polite means brown-nosing then crying because of joy could be understood as terror or sadness.

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