1
general::
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]
American Heritage Idioms
2
general::
Phrase(s): pay court to someone
Fig. to solicit someone’s attention; to woo someone. • The lawyer was thought to be paying court to too many politicians. • The lobbyist paid court to all the inf luential members of Congress.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs