"tug one's forelock" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From a traditional gesture of respect to the higher classes, pulling down one’s front piece of hair or cap in a mock bow.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tugs one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tugging one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tugged one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tugged one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pull one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "touch one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "tug one's forelock (third-person singular simple present tugs one's forelock, present participle tugging one's forelock, simple past and past participle tugged one's forelock)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1988, David Corson, Education for Work: Background to Policy and Curriculum, page 228:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, William G. Tapply, The Dutch Blue Error:",
          "text": "\"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?\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To show deference or obsequious respect."
      ],
      "id": "en-tug_one's_forelock-en-verb-oMi9VhPZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "deference",
          "deference"
        ],
        [
          "obsequious",
          "obsequious"
        ],
        [
          "respect",
          "respect"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "often satirical or contemptuous",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic, often satirical or contemptuous) To show deference or obsequious respect."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bow and scrape"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tug one's forelock"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "From a traditional gesture of respect to the higher classes, pulling down one’s front piece of hair or cap in a mock bow.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tugs one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tugging one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tugged one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tugged one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pull one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "touch one's forelock",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "tug one's forelock (third-person singular simple present tugs one's forelock, present participle tugging one's forelock, simple past and past participle tugged one's forelock)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1988, David Corson, Education for Work: Background to Policy and Curriculum, page 228:",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013, William G. Tapply, The Dutch Blue Error:",
          "text": "\"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?\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To show deference or obsequious respect."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "deference",
          "deference"
        ],
        [
          "obsequious",
          "obsequious"
        ],
        [
          "respect",
          "respect"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "often satirical or contemptuous",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic, often satirical or contemptuous) To show deference or obsequious respect."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "bow and scrape"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tug one's forelock"
}