kick

kick
   1. to die
   Probably from the involuntary spasm of a slaughtered animal. Usually as kick in, it, off or up:
    Thou's no kick up, till thou's right aul. (Picken, 1813 — you won't die till you're old)
   The common kick the bucket is supposed by some to come from the bucket, or beam, to which a Norfolk pig was tied to facilitate the slitting of its throat and which it kicked in its death throes. It may as well have come from the practice of the victim or suicide standing on a bucket after being strung up to a beam, the bucket then being kicked away:
    It all went. So he kicked the bucket, literally. (Sanders, 1977 — he committed suicide)
   To kick the wind or the punning kick your heels was to be killed by hanging:
    In a few moments most of them would be kicking their heels in a different world from this one. (F. Richards, 1933)
   2. (the kick)
   peremptory dismissal from employment
   Usually affecting a single employee. The assault is figurative.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • kick — kick …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • kick — [kɪk] verb kick in phrasal verb 1. [intransitive] informal if a system, arrangement, event etc kicks in, it begins to have an effect: • Many lawyers are hurrying to arrange settlements before the new tax rules kick in. 2. [intransitive,… …   Financial and business terms

  • kick — [ kik ] n. m. • 1922; kick starter 1919; mot angl., de to kick « donner des coups de pied » ♦ Dispositif de mise en marche d un moteur de motocyclette à l aide du pied. Démarrer au kick. Des kicks. ● kick starter, kick starters ou kick nom… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • kick — ► VERB 1) strike or propel forcibly with the foot. 2) strike out with the foot or feet. 3) informal succeed in giving up (a habit or addiction). 4) (of a gun) recoil when fired. ► NOUN 1) an instance of kicking. 2) infor …   English terms dictionary

  • kick — kick1 [kik] vi. [ME kiken < ?] 1. to strike out with the foot or feet, as in anger, or in swimming, dancing, etc. 2. to spring back suddenly, as a gun when fired; recoil 3. to bounce or ricochet, often in a way that is unexpected or seemingly… …   English World dictionary

  • KICK — (von englisch kick „treten“ oder „Tritt“) bezeichnet einen Tritt gegen den Ball beim Fußball eine spezielle Form des Aufschlags beim Tennis, siehe Aufschlag (Tennis) einen unsauberen Ballkontakt beim Billard, siehe Snooker #Kick den Zeitpunkt, an …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kick — (von englisch: [to] kick = „treten“ oder kick = „Tritt“) bezeichnet: einen Impuls („Tritt“): eines Elektrons sowie Positrons durch die gravitomagnetische Kraft in der Physik, so dass sie die Ergosphäre verlassen können in der Astrophysik nach der …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • kick — kick; kick·able; kick·a·poo; kick·er; kick·ish; kick·shaw; kick·sies; kick·box; kick·box·ing; kick·box·er; …   English syllables

  • kick — 1. The word kick has provided some powerful metaphors over the years. In recent use, the image of starting a motorcycle by the downward thrust on a pedal (a kick start) has been vividly applied figuratively to mean ‘an impetus given to get a… …   Modern English usage

  • Kick — (k[i^]k), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Kicked} (k[i^]kt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Kicking}.] [W. cicio, fr. cic foot.] 1. To strike, thrust, or hit violently with the foot; as, a horse kicks a groom; a man kicks a dog. [1913 Webster] He [Frederick the Great]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Kick — es el sexto álbum de la banda de rock australiana INXS. Es el disco de la banda más vendido hasta el día de hoy; más de 10 millones de copias solo en los Estados Unidos. Singles como Need You Tonight/Mediate, Devil Inside, New Sensation, y Never… …   Wikipedia Español

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