tug one's forelock en · VERB
Etymology
From a traditional gesture of respect to the higher classes, pulling down one’s front piece of hair or cap in a mock bow.
Meanings
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(idiomatic, intransitive, qualifier:often satirical or contemptuous) To show deference or obsequious respect.
These students were quite capable of tugging their forelocks while raising two fingers behind their backs (Newby, 1977), i.e. producing deferential behaviour as part of a more complicated game of manipulation.
1988, David Corson, Education for Work: Background to Policy and Curriculum, page 228:"Aw, lay off, will you? It's part of my job, you know that." "Yeah, bowing and scraping and tugging your forelock to all those rich old crones. Somebody's chauffeur probably got a scratch on the El Dorado, huh?"
2013, William G. Tapply, The Dutch Blue Error:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tugging one's forelock | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| tugs one's forelock | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| tugged one's forelock | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| tugged one's forelock | Tense=Past | lexicographic |