lapdog

American  

[lap-dawg, dog] / ˈlæpˌdɔg, ˌdɒg /

Or lap dog

noun

1. a small pet dog that can easily be held in the lap.

2. a person or group that submits to the influence of another; a servile follower.

   Regulatory agencies are supposed to be watchdogs, but some have become lapdogs of the industries they oversee.

---

lapdog British  

/ ˈlæpˌdɒɡ /

noun

1. a pet dog small and docile enough to be cuddled in the lap

2. informal a person who attaches himself to someone in admiration or infatuation

---

Etymology

Origin of lapdog

First recorded in 1635–45; lap ¹ + dog ( def. )

Example Sentences

After hundreds of generations of human breeding, the dogs that emerged had shorter muzzles, smaller teeth and an enormous range of sizes, from lapdogs to hulking guardians.

From BBC

“I know they think I’m a pliant little lapdog,” Martin tells Richard, “but I despise them as much as they despise the rest of us for not being them.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He's not a lapdog that comes running every time they whistle.

From BBC

In Eagle Rock, millennials dine with their lapdogs.

From Los Angeles Times

The republic’s consuls and other officers became Augustus’ lapdogs, but he preserved their venerable offices and titles “with anxious care,” seeming to consult them and massaging their vanity.

From Salon