Word Study
hanger-on
CIDE DICTIONARY
hanger-on, n.
One who hangs on, or sticks to, a person, place, or service; a dependent; one who adheres to others' society longer than he is wanted. Goldsmith. [1913 Webster]
ROGET THESAURUS
hanger-on
Flatterer
N flatterer, adulator, eulogist, euphemist, optimist, encomiast, laudator, whitewasher, toady, toadeater, sycophant, courtier, Sir Pertinax MacSycophant, flaneur, proneur, puffer, touter, claqueur, clawback, earwig, doer of dirty work, parasite, hanger-on, yes-man, suckup, ass-kisser, brown-noser, teacher's pet, pessimum genus inimicorum laudantes.For further exploring for "hanger-on" in Webster Dictionary Online