“摇尾乞怜的”可以用英语表达为 “cringing” 或 “fawning”。
Cringing:侧重于描述因恐惧、奉承或羞愧而表现出的谄媚、卑躬屈膝的态度。
Fawning:更强调为了讨好或获得青睐而表现出的过分殷勤、奉承的行为。
这两个词都带有贬义色彩,可以用来形容某人或某动物为了获取好处而表现出的卑微姿态。例如:
He had a cringing/fawning attitude towards his boss.(他对老板有着摇尾乞怜的态度。)
The dog was cringing/fawning for food.(那只狗摇尾乞怜地要食物。)