CRINGE

v. 1 cower, wince, flinch, quail, recoil, blench, tremble, quiver, quake or shake in one's boots or shoes, shrink That dirty little coward cringed even when they called his name 2 defer, kowtow, grovel, crawl, fawn, boot-lick, US apple-polish; Slang kiss someone's arse or US and Canadian ass, Taboo slang brown-nose The man cringed before the magistrate, his eyes downcast, tugging his forelock