good graces

English

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

good graces pl (plural only)

  1. (idiomatic) Favorable regard; personal approval; kindly treatment.
    • 1831, Sir Walter Scott, My Aunt Margaret's Mirror:
      [H]e had insinuated himself into the good graces of an ancient and rich burgomaster, and, by his handsome person and graceful manners, captivated the affections of his only child.
    • 1897, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “[Pudd’nhead Wilson] Chapter 6”, in The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson: And the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 77:
      [T]he twins' charm of manner and easy and polished bearing made speedy conquest of the family's good graces.
    • 1910, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 16, in Kilmeny of the Orchard:
      David had, in the space of an hour, captured Mrs. Williamson's heart, wormed himself into the good graces of Timothy, and become hail-fellow-well-met with old Robert.
    • 1996 February 6, Clifford Krauss, “New York's Thin, Angry Blue Line”, in New York Times, retrieved 26 December 2012:
      That has prompted leaders of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association to threaten to withhold support for the Mayor's re-election bid. "He's not in our good graces now," said Louis Matarazzo, the P.B.A. president. "We're not endorsing anyone now."
    • 2008 November 18, Jay Newton-Small, “Why the Democrats — and Obama — Forgave Lieberman”, in Time‎[1], archived from the original on 1 January 2013:
      Joe Lieberman has never been shy about speaking his mind […] , leaving his fate as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and member of the Democratic caucus to depend on the good graces of Senate Democrats.
    • 2025 July 18, Nicholas Florko, “Make Coca-Cola Great Again”, in The Atlantic‎[2]:
      Agreeing to remove a controversial ingredient is a way to get in the administration’s good graces and can be a good business move—even if your foods are largely still unhealthy.

Usage notes

  • Now often found in the phrase "in [someone's] good graces" or "into [someone's] good graces".

Synonyms

References

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.