Forms: 4 kike, 4–6 kyke, 6 keke, kicke, 5– kick. [ME. kike, kyke, of unknown origin. The W. cicio, often cited as the source, is from English (Prof. Rhŷs).]
I. 1. intr. To strike out with the foot.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s T., 85. Ther is noon of vs alle If any wight wol clawe vs on the galle That we nel kike [v.r. kyke].
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), V. 355. Þere þou myȝte assaye how strongliche þese mares konneþ kyke [v.r. kike]. Ibid. (1398), Barth. De P. R., VI. v. (MS. Bodl.), lf. 36 b/1. Whanne the modre wasscheþ and kemeþ ham [children] þei kikeþ and praunseþ.
a. 1529. Skelton, Elynour Rummyng, 450. Of the tewsday in the weke Whan the mare doth keke.
1548. Latimer, Ploughers (Arb.), 23. If they be prycked, they wyll kycke.
1599. B. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Hum., Induct. They…, like galled camels, kick at every touch.
1733. Pope, Hor. Sat., II. i. 87. ’Tis a Bear’s talent not to kick, but hug.
1862. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., IX. vi. (1872), III. 125. A dead horse, or a dying, in the next stall,… he at least will not kick upon us, think the neighbouring Kings.
b. slang. To die. Also to kick it. Cf. kick up (9 b), one’s heels (5), the bucket (4), k. out (8 c).
1725. New Cant. Dict., Kick’d, gone, fled, departed.
1858. Trollope, Dr. Thorne, III. vii. 123. There are fellows have done ten times worse than I; and they are not going to kick … you are trying to frighten me.
1892. Hume Nisbet, Bail Up! 105 (Farmer). Four on them sickened all at once … and after they had kicked it, my two mates went with me.
1899. E. Phillpotts, Human Boy, 10. Then they get microbes on the chest, and kick.
c. Phrases. To kick against the pricks (spur, goad): to strike the foot against such sharp-pointed or piercing weapons; also fig. to be recalcitrant to one’s own hurt. To kick over the traces: (of a horse) to get a leg over the traces so as to kick more freely and vigorously; fig. to throw off the usual restraints.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 436. It is hard to kyke aȝen þe spore. Ibid. (1382), Acts ix. 5. It is hard to thee, for to kyke aȝens the pricke.
1755. Smollett, Quix. (1803), IV. 214. Advising that honest man is kicking against the pricks.
1861. H. Kingsley, Ravenshoe, xlii. I’ll go about with the rogue. He is inclined to kick over the traces, but I’ll whip him in a little.
1871. E. F. Burr, Ad Fidem, i. 4. Kicking against the pricks of the constitution, and course of nature.
1876. L. Stephen, Hours in Library, II. 354. The effervescence of genius which drives men to kick over the traces of respectability.
1883. Besant, Revolt Man, i. 32. Always … some kicking over the limits of convention.
2. intr. fig. To show temper, annoyance, defiance, dislike, etc.; to rebel, be recalcitrant. To kick against or at, to object strongly to, rebel against, reject with anger or scorn; to spurn.
1388. Wyclif, Deut. xxxii. 15. The louede puple was maad fat, and kikide aȝen.
1549. Latimer, 4th Serm. bef. Edw. VI. (Arb.), 126. He is none of these wynkers, he kyckes not when he heares hys fault.
1596. Bell, Serv. Popery, I. I. x. 33. The wicked do euer kicke against the preachers.
1611. Bible, 1 Sam. ii. 29. Wherefore kicke ye at my sacrifice, and at mine offering…?
1631. Sanderson, Serm. (1681), II. 8. Our proposals are suspected; our counsels … scorned and kickt at.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, IV. 393. A rampant heresy, such as … Would make all women kick against their Lords.
1871. Freeman, Hist. Ess., Ser. II. iii. 116. Human nature craves for something like religion, and it does not always kick at a little superstition.
1887. Besant, The World went, i. He was compelled to taste the medicines, and his stomach kicked thereat.
3. transf. a. Of firearms: To recoil when fired.
1832. Babbage, Econ. Manuf., ii. (ed. 3), 23. If a gun is loaded with ball it will not kick so much as when loaded with small shot.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., xix. I had no idea these small fire-arms kicked so.
1858. Greener, Gunnery, 322. Dirty guns … kick violently, simply from the greater friction.
b. Cricket. Of the ground: To cause a ball to rebound in a more nearly vertical direction than usual. (Cf. 9 c.)
1882. Standard, 29 Aug., 3/2. The rain had made the wicket ‘kick’ a good deal.
1899. Westm. Gaz., 21 July, 5. The turf … played … without the slightest trace of a desire to ‘kick.’
4. trans. To strike (anything) with the foot. To kick the wind or clouds, to be hanged (slang). To kick the bucket, to die (slang): see BUCKET sb.2 To kick one’s heels: see HEEL sb.1 17.
1590. Shaks., Com. Err., III. i. 17. I should kicke being kickt, and being at that passe, You would keepe from my heeles.
1598. Florio, 96/1. Dar de’ calci a Rouaio, to be hang’d, to kicke the winde.
1711. Steele, Spect., No. 2, ¶ 1. Sir Roger … had … kick’d Bully Dawson in a Coffee-house.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 112, ¶ 4. An idle Fellow, and at that Time was kicking his Heels for his Diversion.
1787. ‘G. Gambado,’ Acad. Horsemen, 39. By mounting thus, you avoid all danger of being kicked, or bit.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v., To kick the clouds before the hotel door, i. e. to be hanged.
1842. Macaulay, Ess., Fredk. Gt. (1858), I. 528. He reviled his Chancellor. He kicked the shins of his Judges.
1890. G. Allen, Tents of Shem, x. Sir Arthur … will do the right thing in the end before he kicks the bucket.
b. To work (a printing-press) with the foot (Cent. Dict.).
c. U.S. slang. To dismiss, discharge (cf. KICK sb.1 1 e); to reject (a suitor).
1860. Bartlett, Dict. Amer., s.v., ‘Miss A has kicked the Hon. Mr. B, and sent him off with a flea in his ear.’ Confined to the South.
1895. Outing (U.S.), XXVII. 74/2. Some years ago, when a Suffolk gal kicked me.
d. transf. Of things: To strike (anything) with a violent impact. Of a gun: To strike in the recoil. To kick the beam: see BEAM sb.1 6 b.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 1004. The latter [weight] quick up flew, and kickt the beam.
1748. Smollett, Rod. Rand., ix. A straw thrown into either scale would make the Balance kick the Beam.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 101. Riches are thrown into the scale, and virtue kicks the beam.
Mod. The gun kicked my shoulder, and has made it all black.
5. With adv. or prep. (see also II.): To impel, drive, or move, by or as by kicking. To kick down the ladder: see LADDER. To kick up one’s heels: see HEEL sb.1 23.
1598. Florio, Fare il pane, to dye, to kick vp ones heeles.
1604. [See HEEL sb.1 23].
a. 1626. Fletcher, Nice Valour, I. Wks. (Rtldg.), 456/1. If he were not kick’d to th’ church o’ th’ wedding day, I’ll never come at court.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 57, ¶ 3. [She] threatens to kick him out of the House.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, I. xiii. When once you are got up, to kick the stool from under you.
1782. J. Trumbull, M‘Fingal, I. 96. Some muskets … though well aim’d … Bear wide and kick their owners over.
1841. Lane, Arab. Nts., I. 98. The ’Efreet then kicked the bottle into the sea.
1871. L. Stephen, Playgr. Europe, iii. (1894), 86. Every little bit of snow that we kicked aside started a young avalanche on its own account.
1886. Stevenson, Treasure Isl., IV. xviii. Ball after ball flew over or fell short, or kicked up the sand in the enclosure.
b. To drive forcibly and contemptuously; to drive or force (out of, into, etc.). To kick downstairs, to turn out, eject unceremoniously or ignominiously; hence, jocularly, to be kicked upstairs, to be removed from the scene of action by promotion to an ostensibly higher post.
1678. Marvell, Growth Popery, Wks. 1776, I. 643. In this manner they [the Parliament] were kickt from adjournment to adjournment.
1685. Wood, Life, 27 Feb. (O.H.S.), III. 133. Musae repudiatae, ‘Muses kickt downe staires.’
c. 1728. Earl of Ailesbury, Mem. (1890), 640. Forgetting, like good Christians … their kicking us out of the pepper trade in the Indies.
1809. J. Quincy, Life, 19 Jan., 175. To use a strong but common expression, it [the majority in Congress] could not be kicked into such a declaration [of war] by either nation.
1821. Croker, Diary, 31 May, in C. Papers (1884), I. vii. 186. Lord Melville informs me that he is about to be kicked upstairs (his expression) to be Secretary of State for the Home Department.
1834. J. Halley, in Life (1842), 21. The Faculty … kicked us out of college.
6. To accomplish, make, or do, by kicking. a. Football. To win (a goal) by a kick. b. To force or make (one’s way) by kicking. Also fig.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. v. It is all Lombard-street to a China orange that the School-house kick a goal.
1891. Times, 15 Oct., 5/3. From this try Shorland easily kicked a goal.
1893. R. Kipling, Many Invent., 156. The Rathmines kicked her way northward through the warm water.
II. With adverbs, in special senses (see also 5).
7. Kick off.
a. trans. To throw off (shoes) by kicking or jerking the foot. (So kick on.)
1840. Dickens, Old C. Shop, xlix. He … kicked off his shoes, and groped his way up-stairs.
1890. G. Gissing, The Emancipated, III. II. xvii. 289. He kicked off his boots, kicked on his slippers.
b. Football. intr. To give the first kick.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. v. The School are going to kick off.
1880. Daily Tel., 20 Dec. The Southern captain kicked off with the wind against him.
8. Kick out.
a. trans. To expel or turn out with a kick, or in an ignominious fashion.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Past., IX. 8. Kick’d out, we set the best face on’t we cou’d.
1794. Ld. Sheffield, in Ld. Auckland’s Corr. (1862), III. 168. You would be all kicked out before the end of the session.
1807–8. W. Irving, Salmag. (1824), 254. A few noisy retainers, who have crept into office, and a few noisy patriots,… who have been kicked out.
b. Football. intr. To re-start the game by kicking the ball towards the opposite goal from the 25-yard line, after the defending side has touched down or the attacking side has failed to make a goal from a try.
In the old Rugby school-game (to which quot. 1857 refers) the term was differently used. If one side touched down the ball behind the goal-line of the other, a player of the attacking side had the right to ‘kick out’ from the goal-line, giving to his own side (under certain conditions) the chance of a kick at goal.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. v. He will not kick out till they are all in goal.
c. intr. To die. slang.
1898. United Service Mag., March, 649. ‘Here comes the parson,’ I once heard a man say; ‘he thinks I’m going to kick out, but I’m not.’
9. Kick up.
a. trans. To raise (dust, etc.) by or as by kicking; hence, to make (any disturbance or nuisance).
1756. Foote, Eng. fr. Paris, II. i. You must know he intended to kick up a riot tonight, at the play-house.
1786. Burns, Ordination, iii. This day the Kirk kicks up a stoure.
c. 1800. Rhodes, Bomb. Fur., i. (1830), 11. Begone, brave army, and don’t kick up a row.
1801. in Anderson, Cumbld. Ball., 20. Robbie he kick’d up a dust in a crack.
1844. W. H. Maxwell, Sports & Adv. Scotl., ix. (1853), 88. The wind … had … kicked up more sea than was generally agreeable.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, II. iii. He had been kicking up, horrid stinks for some time in his study.
1886. J. K. Jerome, Idle Thoughts (1889), 1. They kick up such a shindy.
† b. intr. To die (cf. 1 b). Obs.
a. 1658. Cleveland, Poems, Obsequies, 82. The rest that kick’d up were the smaller Fry.
1813. Picken, Poems, I. 46 (E.D.D.). Soud ye kick up an’ slip awa, They’ll scrimply find anither As guid.
c. Cricket. intr. Of a ball: To rebound more or less vertically. (Cf. 3 b.)
1895. Daily News, 29 May, 8/5. A knock on the hand from a ball … which kicked up a little.
III. 10. Phrases used as sbs. or adjs.; spec. kick-about, an irregular form of football; kickball, Sc., a football, or the game of football; kick-out (see 8 b). See also KICK-OFF, KICK-UP.
1801. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Odes to Ins & Outs, vi. Wks. 1812, IV. 359. The tumult on that kick-out day Was mob-like at a house on fire.
1828. Moir, Mansie Wauch, v. Fleeing down the street, with the kickba’ at their noses.
1854. E. H. Chapin, Humanity in the City, vii. 200. They are running about at kick-ball and cricket; but I must climb the long, long stairs, with a heavy load, and an empty stomach, whilst my back is like to break.
1862. Thackeray, Philip, I. x. 172. Phil, for his part, adopted towards his cousin a kick-me-down-stairs manner.
1877. [G. Nugent-Bankes], Day of My Life at Eton, 97. There’s kick-about going on in the passage.
1889. Standard, 23 Dec. Following the kick-out, Christopherson got possession and narrowly missed dropping a goal.
1893. Stevenson, Catriona, viii. 94. I will be a kick-ball between you and the Duke no longer.
1899. E. Phillpotts, Human Boy, 9. The half-hour ‘kick-about’ in the playground.
