1. Being a lackey or a servile follower: Someone who acts as a subordinate or an obsequious attendant to someone else, often with a sense of being overly deferential and lacking independence.
2. Acting in a submissive or subservient manner: This can be applied to someone who blindly agrees with or supports someone else without independent thought or judgment.
Example:
* "He was accused of flunkying to the manager, always agreeing with everything she said."
Origins:
The term comes from "flunky," which originally referred to a footman or servant in a livery. It evolved to have a more general meaning of a subservient or sycophantic follower.
Note: While "flunky" is still occasionally used, "flunkying" is rarer and carries a stronger connotation of being subservient and lacking in independent thought.