茶坊主
ちゃ
ぼ
う
ず
Meanings
1
tea-server; tea-serving attendant
Historical term for a person who served tea, especially in a temple, noble household, or shogunate. Now mostly encountered in historical contexts.
In the Edo period, tea-servers prepared tea beside the shogun.
2
flatterer; sycophant; brown-noser
Derogatory figurative use, likening someone to a servile tea-server who ingratiates themselves with superiors. Often used for political or workplace toadies.
That guy is a sycophant who sucks up to the boss.
Stop acting like a brown-noser.