the.com/grooming
Either combing a horse or coaching a child into danger — context is everything.
means Tending to appearance and cleanliness, or the manipulative befriending of a victim to enable later abuse.
from From the old word 'groom,' a stable servant who tended horses; the verb spread first to hair, then to careers, then darkly to predators.
Horse rootsOriginally meant brushing and feeding stable animals.
Career sense'Groomed for the top job' borrows the same tending.
Modern weightNow legally recognized as a distinct abuse pattern.
Self-groomingAnimals do it; cats spend hours daily.