pay court to

pay court to idiom
Solicit the favors or affection of, as in If you want to win the daughter, you'll have to pay court to her mother. [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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