▪ I. kiss, n.
(kɪs)
Forms: α. 1–4 cos, coss, 3–5 cosse, 4–6 kosse. β. 4 cuss, 5 cus, cusse, kus, 6 kusse. γ. 4–7 kisse, 5 kys, 5–6 kysse, 4, 7– kiss.
[OE. coss = OFris. kos, OS. cos, kus (MDu. cus, cuss, Du. kus), OHG. chus (MHG. kus, kos, G. kuss), ON. koss:—OTeut. *kuss-oz. ME. cuss (kʊs) was app. developed from coss, as it appears to have had (ʊ) not ({smY}), and occurs in texts which do not use cusse (cüsse) for the vb. The mod.Eng. form (like Da. kys, Sw. kyss) is from the vb.]
1. A touch or pressure given with the lips (see kiss v. 1), in token of affection, greeting, or reverence; a salute or caress given with the lips.
| α c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 32 Ic hine to minum cosse arærde. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxii. 48 Mannes sunu þu mid cosse sylst. a 1100 Ags. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 309/8 Osculum, cos. a 1225 Ancr. R. 194 Wo wurðe his cos: vor hit is Judases cos þet he ou mide cusseð. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1300 He had craued a cosse, bi his courtaysye. 1382 Wyclif Song. Sol. i. 1 Kisse he me with the cos of his mowth. 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 25 He..with cossis and terys watryd the fete of the crosse. a 1553 Udall Royster D. i. iii. 24, I will not sticke for a kosse with such a man as you. |
| β 1390 Gower Conf. II. 348 Yit wol he stele a cuss or tuo. c 1430 Hymns Virgin 12 Ful curteis was þi comeli cus [rime ihesus]. c 1440 Partonope *3236 Ther with she yaf hym a swete cus. a 1529 Skelton P. Sparrow 361 Many a prety kusse Had I of his swete musse. |
| γ c 1340 Cursor M. 15779 (Gött.) Wid a kiss [other MSS. coss, cosse] has þu mannes sune vnto þi bandun broght. Ibid. 17198 (Gött.) Kisse of saghtling þu me bedis. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 277/1 Kys, or kus, osculum, basium. c 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn ix. 39 To haue a kysse or cusse of her mouth. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 278 b, Kysse me lorde, with the kysse of thy mouth. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado ii. i. 322 Speake cosin, or..stop his mouth with a kisse, and let not him speake neither. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 502 He..press'd her Matron lip With kisses pure. 1796–7 Coleridge To Sara 4 Ah why refuse the blameless bliss? Can danger lurk within a kiss? 1833 Tennyson Fatima iii, He drew With one long kiss my whole soul thro' My lips. 1852 Hook Ch. Dict. (1871) 424 The kiss of peace..was one of the rites of the eucharistic service in the primitive church. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus vii. 1 Ask me, Lesbia, what the sum delightful Of thy kisses. |
2. fig. A light touch or impact.
| 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. iv. iii. 26 So sweete a kisse the golden Sunne giues not, To those fresh morning drops vpon the Rose. 1821 Shelley Epipsych. 547 Where the pebble-paven shore, Under the quick, faint kisses of the sea Trembles and sparkles. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cxvii, Every kiss of toothed wheels. |
b. Billiards, etc. (See
kiss v. 3 c.)
| 1836 T. Hook G. Gurney III. 154 ‘That is a cannon however’. ‘Not a bit of it!..a kiss!’ 1859 Crawley Billiards 95 All these canons are made by a kiss from the cushion. 1874 J. D. Heath Croquet Player 35 A proper laying of the balls will preclude the undesirable kiss. |
3. Name for a small sweetmeat or piece of confectionery; a sugar-plum.
| 1825 Brockett, Kisses, small confections or sugar plums. Perhaps the same as Shakspeare's kissing-comfits. 1887 Stevenson in Scribner's Mag. I. 612/2 Munching a ‘barley-sugar kiss’. |
4. A fanciful term for a drop of sealing-wax accidentally let fall beside the seal.
| 1829 Young Lady's Bk. 337 No drops, or, as our country cousins designate them, kisses, will fall in the passage of the wax from the taper to..the seal. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxvii, ‘It's Peggy O'Dowd's fist’, said George, laughing. ‘I know it by the kisses on the seal’. 1850 Dickens Detective Police Party Wks. (Libr. ed.) VIII. 307, I observed that on the back of the letter there was what we call a kiss—a drop of wax by the side of the seal. |
5. pl. A local name for the heartsease (
Viola tricolor);
cf. kiss-me, etc., in
kiss-,
kiss-me-quick 3.
| 1840 Spurdens Suppl. Forby, Kisses, the pansy; heart's-ease. |
6. attrib. and
Comb., as
kiss-giver,
kiss-thrower;
kiss-worthy adj.;
kiss impression Printing (see
quot. 1960);
kissproof a., of lipstick, that will not smudge, come off, etc., if its wearer kisses or is kissed; also
fig.;
kiss-wise adv., in the manner of a kiss.
| 1735 Fanshaw's tr. Guarini's Pastor Fido ii. i, She, that is The best kiss-giver, shall receive her mead. |
| 1946 B. Dalgin Advertising Production 89 If a high⁓light dot carries little ink, only contact (‘kiss impression’, we call it) would be required. 1960 G. A. Glaister Gloss. Bk. 208 Kiss impression, one in which the ink is deposited on the paper by the lightest possible surface contact and is not impressed into it. This technique is required when printing on coated papers. 1962 F. T. Day Introd. to Paper ix. 98 The letterpress process employs various machines all of which operate on the same principle, that of bringing inked type surfaces together in a ‘kiss impression’ with the paper. 1967 Karch & Buber Offset Processes ix. 446 Long press runs with a single plate are possible because the offset plate does not touch the paper but contacts the blanket with a very light ‘kiss’ impression. 1967 V. Strauss Printing Industry vii. 448/2 The inking cylinder should be set for a ‘kiss impression’, a term indicating that the least pressure compatible with proper image transfer is to be used. |
| 1934 Dylan Thomas 18 Poems 26 Happy Cadaver's hunger as you take The kiss⁓proof world. 1937 M. Sharp Nutmeg Tree iii. 40 She exchanged her more subdued..lipstick for a new Kiss-proof in flamingo red. 1940 ‘N. Shute’ Landfall ii. 37 ‘You don't use lipstick.’ ‘That's all you know. They told me it was kissproof in the shop.’ 1959 Punch 19 Aug. 39/2 Eight refills of genuine English kissproof lipstick, in the new, passionate tangerine shade. 1962 New Scientist 27 Sept. 686/3 Kissproof lipstick was among the most profitable inventions of the present century. 1974 V. Canning Painted Tent ix. 194 You can give me a kiss. It's all right—don't fret—the stuff's kiss-proof. |
| 1860 T. L. Peacock Gryll Gr. 298 A most beautiful kiss-thrower. |
| 1875 Lanier Poems, Symphony 291 Lips kiss-wise set. |
| a 1586 Sidney Astr. & Stella lxxiii, Thy most kisse-worthy face. |
b. Phr.
the kiss of death [
f. the association with the kiss of betrayal given to Jesus by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew xxvi. 48–50)], a seemingly kind or well-intentioned action, look, association, etc., which brings disastrous consequences;
the kiss of life, the mouth-to-mouth method of artificial respiration; also
attrib. and
fig.| 1948 ‘N. Shute’ No Highway iv. 113, I told you that he'd put the kiss of death on it. 1952 H. Waugh Last seen Wearing (1953) 141 I'm starting to take a liking to that guy... The kiss of death. 1960 Times 20 July 13/3 Military assistance from Rhodesia would be the kiss of death to Mr. Tshombe. 1960 Guardian 10 Dec. 5/1 Let us hope that the critics' approval does not, at the box-office, prove a kiss of death. 1970 New Scientist 27 Aug. 405/1 In some countries state participation is essential for a scientific programme, in others it often seems the kiss of death. |
| 1961 Daily Mail 22 Sept. 1/7 Mrs. Alice Lowe..used the ‘kiss-of-life’ to save her 19-month-old nephew Geoffrey Ahmed at Oldham yesterday. 1962 Guardian 25 June 4/4 Two children..were given the ‘kiss of life’ artificial respiration treatment. 1964 Ibid. 21 Apr. 18/4 Here was Mr Houghton giving the debate the kiss of life, and Mr Boyd-Carpenter responding to treatment. 1969 P. Dickinson Pride of Heroes i. 28, I cut the rope..and lowered him to the floor to administer the kiss of life, a technique in which I have taken instruction. 1969 Private Eye 5 Dec. 17/2 Finding her six years old goldfish ‘Bubbles’ on the carpet beside its tank, a Nottinghamshire woman gave it the kiss of life. 1972 Daily Tel. 6 Jan. 15/6 Firemen rescued them from their first-floor flat..and tried to revive them on the footpath with the kiss of life and oxygen. |
Add:
[1.] b. Forming part of an expression of affection written at the close of a letter, etc. (conventionally represented by the letter x);
= X 6.
| 1882 W. S. Churchill Let. 3 Dec. in R. S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill (1966) I. iii. 48 With love and kisses I remain your loving son. Winston. kisses. 1894 ― Let. 14 Mar. in Ibid. (1967) I. Compan. i. vii. 456 Please excuse bad writing as I am in an awful hurry. (Many kisses.) xxx WSC. 1898 Daily News 25 Jan. 7/3 There were hieroglyphics in the form of crosses for kisses. 1976 D. Storey Saville iii. xii. 165 There'd been a row of kisses at the foot of each. 1985 Women's Wear Daily 11 Mar. 23/1 The flowery, first-name signature of the 19-year-old model and actress, complete with two love-and-kisses XXs. |
▪ II. kiss, v. (
kɪs)
Pa. tense and
pple. kissed (
kist). Forms: α. 1–2
cyssan, 2–5
kyssen, 3–6
kysse, (4
kyse,
kise, 4–6
kys,
kis), 4–7
kisse, 4–
kiss. β. 2–6
cusse, 3–4
kusse, 4
cus,
kus (
ü); 4–6
cus,
kus,
kuss, 9
dial. kuss. γ. 3–5
kesse, 4
kes. δ. 1
cossian; 4
cosse, 6
kos.
pa. tense 1
cyste, 2–5
kyste,
kiste,
custe,
keste; 4–6
kyst, etc.; 4–
kist; 3–4
cussede,
cossede,
kyssede, 4–5
-ide,
-ed,
-id; 4–
kissed.
pa. pple. 1
cyssed, 4–6 (
y)cussed,
cossed, (
i)cust,
kest,
kost, etc.; 4–
kist,
kissed.
[OE. cyssan (pa. tense cyste, pa. pple. cyssed) = OFris. kessa, OS. kussian (MDu. cussen, Du. kussen), OHG. chussen, kussen (MHG. and G. küssen), ON. kyssa (Sw. kyssa, Da. kysse):—OTeut. *kussjan, f. *kuss-: see prec. Both vb. and n. are wanting in Gothic, which has, in the same sense, kukjan (cf. E.Fris. kükken). Of the ME. forms those in y, i, were orig. Midland and Northern; of those in u, the earlier, down to c 1400, had ü as regular southern ME. repr. of OE. y; the later (in u not ü) are to be compared with the form kuss of kiss n.; those in e have partly e from ü as in Kentish; partly e as a broadening of i. The rare OE. cossian (pa. tense cossode), was a distinct formation, from the n.; but the later examples (14–16th c.) of coss, koss, appear to be merely the ordinary vb. assimilated to the n. in its vowel.] 1. a. trans. To press or touch with the lips (at the same time compressing and then separating them), in token of affection or greeting, or as an act of reverence; to salute or caress with the lips; to give a kiss to.
| α c 900 tr. Bæda's Hist. iii. iv. (1890) 166 He..ᵹenom hine þa biᵹ þære swiðran honda and cyste. c 1000 ælfric Gram. xix. (Z.) 122 Et osculor a te and ic eom fram ðe cyssed. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 48 Swa hwæne swa ic cysse se hyt is. Ibid. 49 He cyste hyne. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2355 Euerilc he kiste, on ilc he gret. a 1300 Cursor M. 17649 (Cott.) He kist [Gött. kisced, Trin. cust, Laud kyst] þaim all. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints i. (Petrus) 111 Þan kissit þai ilk oþer sammyne. c 1400 Mandeville iv. (Roxb.) 13 He schuld kisse hir mouthe and hafe no drede of hir. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. cxciv. 170 He fell doune..and thryes kist the grounde. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xxiv. (Arb.) 292 With vs the wemen giue their mouth to be kissed, in other places their cheek, in many places their hand. 1660 F. Brooke tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 187 Where perceiving a Crosse, he kissed it with tears. 1721 Amherst Terræ Fil. No. 3 (1754) 12 He takes the oaths of allegiance and supremacy:..some have thought themselves sufficiently absolved from them by kissing their thumbs, instead of the book. 1847 Tennyson Princ. vi. 208 Kiss her; take her hand, she weeps. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus ix. 9 Kiss his flowery face, his eyes delightful. |
| β c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 145 Hie his fet..mid hire muðe custe. a 1225 Ancr. R. 102 Ure Louerd mid his cosse ne cusseð none soule þet luueð ei þing bute him. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 310 Brut hire clupte and kuste [v.rr. cussede, kyssyd]. c 1340 Cursor M. 5003 (Trin.) Þei him cussed swiþe soone And dude her sackes to be vndone. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. Prol. 70 Þe lewede Men..comen vp knelynge and cusseden his Bulle. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 127 Oon þat hadde ycused [v.rr. y-cussed, kysshed, kisside] his douȝter in þe hiȝe weye. 1389 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 6 (St. Katherine, London) Euerich brother and suster..atte resceyuynge schule kusse eueri other. c 1450 Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 88, I crye the mercy, Lord, and thin Erthe cus. a 1553 Udall Royster D. i. iii. (Arb.) 23 Ill chieue it dotyng foole, but it must be cust [rime must]. 1567 Drant Horace, De arte poet. B vj, Thou mightst..hugge, and busse, and cull, and cusse thy darling apishe fruite. 1825 Brockett, Kuss, to kiss. |
| γ c 1200 Vices & Virtues 117 Rih(t)wisnesse and Sibsumnesse kesten hem to-gedere. a 1300 Cursor M. 24533, I kest him þan bath frunt and chek. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. Wace (Rolls) 6804 Þe Romayns þem keste, & wente þer weye. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xviii. (Egipciane) 1050 Zozimas ran To kes hyre fete. c 1449 Pecock Repr. 270 Thei kessiden the feete of the ymage. |
| δ c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 566 Heo ða mid micelre blisse hit awrehte, and wepende cossode. 1382 Wyclif Gen. xxvii. 27 He com nerre, and cossyde hym. 1555 T. Phaer æneid i. 11 And swetely kost his doughter dere. [So 1584 Twyne]. |
b. transf. Of birds: To touch lightly with the bill by way of a caress.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. vii. (MS. Bodl.) lf. 117 b/2 Þe culuere is a lecherous bridde and kusseþ euerich oþer tofore ye tredinge. a 1529 Skelton Sp. Parrot 269 Now kus me, Parrot, kus me. |
2. a. intr. or absol.: usually of two persons, in reciprocal sense.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9750 (Cott.) And dom and pes do samen kys. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 86 He said þan his avis, ‘Kisse & be not wroþe’. At þe first þei kiste, as frendes felle to be. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 27 Therupon thei kisten bothe. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ii. vi, Whan they were mette they putte of her helmes and kyssed to gyders. 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies v. iv. 339 To make a certaine sound with their mouthes (like people that kissed). 1660 F. Brooke tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 156 Then kissing in sign of peace. 1710–11 Swift Lett. (1767) III. 89 Kiss and be friends, sirrah. 1847 Tennyson Princ. vi. 271 Kiss and be friends, like children being chid! 1850 ― In Mem. Concl., Farewell, we kiss, and they are gone. |
b. trans. with cognate
obj.; also, to express by kissing.
| ? 1830 Tennyson Sea-Fairies 34 We will kiss sweet kisses, and speak sweet words. 1864 ― Aylmer's F. 472 He pluck'd her dagger forth..Kissing his vows upon it like a knight. 1883 E. P. Roe in Harper's Mag. Dec. 51/2 Coming to kiss good-night? |
3. fig. a. trans. To touch or impinge upon lightly, as if in affection or greeting.
| a 1420 [see 6 b]. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 872 As she runnes, the bushes in the way, Some catch her by the necke, some kisse her face. 1593 ― Rich. II, iii. iii. 191 You debase your Princely Knee, To make the base Earth prowd with kissing it. 1596 ― Merch. V. v. i. 2 When the sweet winde did gently kisse the trees. 1627 Feltham Resolves ii. [i.] i. (1628) 1 When a Rich Crowne ha's newly kiss'd the Temples of a gladded King. 1805 Scott Last Minstr. ii. xi, The moon⁓beam kissed the holy pane. 1820 Shelley Love's Philos. ii, See the mountains kiss high heaven..And the moonbeams kiss the sea. 1829 Hood Eug. Aram xxxvi, While gentle sleep The urchin's eyelids kiss'd. |
b. intr. (in reciprocal sense).
| 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. ii. vi. 11 Like fire and powder; Which as they kisse consume. 1818 Shelley Woodm. & Night. 54 Where high branches kiss. 1847 Emerson Poems, Hafiz Wks. (Bohn) I. 478 Let us make our glasses kiss. 1870 Tennyson Window 24 Rose, rose and clematis, Trail and twine and clasp and kiss. |
c. spec. in
Bowls,
Billiards, etc., said of a ball touching another ball lightly,
esp. after it has struck it once, as in a ‘cannon’ at billiards. Const.
trans. of the one ball, or (in causal sense) of the player; or
intr. (in reciprocal sense) of the two balls.
| 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 60 At Bowles euery one craues to kisse the maister. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. ii. i. 2 When I kist the Iacke vpon an vp-cast, to be hit away. 1873 Bennett & Cavendish Billiards 181 If played a true half ball, the red and white will kiss and spoil the cannon. 1874 J. D. Heath Croquet Player 35 The roll of pressure of the mallett must not send the rear ball so as to catch or ‘kiss’ the front one. 1894 Cornh. Mag. Mar. 275 The balls kissed and glided off gently at the exact angle required. 1897 Daily Chron. 16 Feb. 5/7 Roberts made a pretty cannon off the red, kissing the white out of balk. |
4. trans. with
adv.,
prep., or
compl. To put, get, or bring by kissing: as
to kiss away = to remove, put away, or lose by kissing. (
lit. and
fig.)
| 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iii. x. 7 We haue kist away Kingdomes, and Prouinces. 1820 Shelley Sensitive Plant ii. iv, The morn kissed the sleep from her eyes. 1832 Tennyson Miller's Dau. xix, Dews, that would have fall'n in tears, I kiss'd away. 1842 ― The Day-dream L'Envoi iii, That I might kiss those eyes awake! 1856 Mrs. Browning Aur. Leigh i. 52 Kissing full sense into empty words. |
† 5. trans. To cause to kiss, fraternize, or associate.
Obs.| 1562 A. Scott New Year Gift Q. Mary 127 Sic Christianis to kis w{supt} Chauceris kuikis God gife þe grace. |
6. Phrases.
a. to kiss the book,
i.e. the Bible, New Testament, or Gospels, in taking an oath (
cf. book n. 4 a).
b. to kiss the cup, to take a sip of liquor; to drink.
c. to kiss the dust, to be overthrown, humiliated, ruined, or slain; to yield abject submission.
d. to kiss the ground, (
a) to prostrate oneself on the ground in token of homage; (
b)
fig. to be overthrown or brought low.
e. to kiss the hand (hands) of a sovereign or superior, as a ceremonial greeting or leave-taking, or on appointment to an office of state under the sovereign; formerly, in complimentary speech or writing, merely
= to pay one's respects, to salute or bid farewell.
f. to kiss the hare's foot: see
hare n. 2.
g. to kiss (the) pax: see
pax.
h. to kiss the post, to be shut out in consequence of arriving too late.
i. to kiss the rod, to accept chastisement or correction submissively.
† j. to kiss the stocks, to be confined in the stocks: so
† to kiss the clink, the counter (see
clink n.2,
counter n.3 7).
k. to kiss and be friends,
to kiss and make up: to become reconciled; also as a substantival
phr. l. to kiss (a person's) arse,
behind,
bum: to behave obsequiously towards (a person). As
imp.,
esp. in
phr. kiss my arse: a vulgar rejoinder, stronger than ‘go to hell’.
m. to kiss and tell: to recount one's sexual exploits.
n. to kiss better (or well): to comfort (a sick or injured person,
esp. a child) by kissing him,
esp. by kissing the sore or injured part of the body; also
fig. o. to kiss goodbye: to bid farewell with a kiss;
freq. used
fig. and ironically.
p. to kiss off slang, (
a)
trans. to dismiss, get rid of, kill (see also
quot. 1935
2); (
b)
intr. to go away, die.
| a. 1523 Fitzherb. Surv. 20 b, I shall true constable be..so helpe me god and my holydome, and kysse the boke. 1610 Shakes. Temp. ii. ii. 145 Come, sweare to that: kisse the Booke. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. vi. (1809) 235 After this the king or queen..shall say, ‘The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep: so help me God’: and then shall kiss the book. 1899 Besant Orange Girl ii. xii, After kissing the Testament..he turned an unblushing front to the Prosecutor. |
| b. a 1420 Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 3815 More is..honurable, a man compleyne of thrist, Than dronken be, whan he þe cuppe haþ kist. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 25 Kissing the cupp too often. 1623 Cockeram Delibate, to sippe, or kisse the cup. 1808 Scott Marm. v. xii, The bride kissed the goblet; the knight took it up, He quaffed off the wine, he threw down the cup. |
| c. 1835 I. Taylor Spir. Despot. x. 410 To kiss the dust before monstrous superstitions. 1867 Trollope Chron. Barset II. lvi. 129 She had yielded, and had kissed the dust. |
| d. 1589 Pasquil's Ret. B, Ouerthrow the state, and make the Emperiall crowne of her Maiestye kisse the ground. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 149 In the Church he kisseth the grounde with his forehead. 1782 Cowper Boadicea 19 Soon her pride shall kiss the ground. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 86 He went again to the King, and kissed the ground before him. |
| e. c 1575 Diurn. Occurr. (Bannatyne Club) 332 The castell men kust thair hand with schutting of small artailyerie. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, iii. iii. 104 Thy thrice-noble Cousin, Harry Bullingbrooke, doth humbly kisse thy hand. 1654 Sir E. Nicholas in N. Papers (Camden) II. 94 My sonne will kiss your hands in a letter of his owne by the next post. 1670 Lady M. Bertie in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 21 The Dutchesse..presented mee to kisse the Queene's hand. 1680 Lady Chaworth ibid. 55 Mr. Vice⁓chamberlaine..kisses your hands and begs your commands if any into France sudainly. 1710 Lond. Gaz. No. 4722/2 He had this Day the Honour of kissing Her Majesty's Hand. 1768 in Priv. Lett. Ld. Malmesbury I. 159, I had intended to set off, as soon as I could kiss hands. 1809 G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 434 The Marquis could not kiss hands for the Seals. 1854 Card. Wiseman Fabiola ii. xxx. 325 Fulvius..kissed the emperor's hand and slowly retired. 1955 H. Nicolson Diary 6 Apr. (1968) 281 Anthony [Eden] drives to the Palace and kisses hands on his appointment as Prime Minister. 1963 Times 31 Jan. 14/2 Mr. F. J. Blakeney was received in audience by The Queen this morning and kissed hands upon his appointment as Her Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for the Commonwealth of Australia at Bonn. 1974 Guardian 7 Mar. 26/4 Mr Foot..started work to settle the miners [sic] dispute even before kissing hands with the Queen. |
| h. c 1515 Barclay Egloges ii. (1570) B iv/2 Thou shalt lose thy meat and kisse the post. 1600 Heywood 1st Pt. Edw. IV, Wks. 1874 IV. 47 Make haste thou art best, for feare thou kiss the post. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 475 You must kiss the post, or hares foot, Sero venêre bubulci. |
| i. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (1867) 190 Yet he durst not but kiss his rod and gladly make much of his entertainment. 1628 Shirley Witty Fair One i. iii, Come, I'll be a good child, and kiss the rod. 1774 F. Burney Early Diary (1889) I. 271 If you will so far favour me, I will gladly kiss the rod. 1800 I. Milner in Life xii. (1842) 209 When the fits of illness come, I do not, I believe, properly kiss the rod. |
| j. 1575 Gamm. Gurton v. i. in Hazl. Dodsley III. 235 Well worthy..to kisse the stockes. 1588 J. Udall Diotrephes (Arb.) 22, I will make thee kiss the Clinke for this geare. 1620 Rowlands Night Raven (1872) 11 You kisse the Counter sirra. 1626 Letter (N.), Some constables, for refusing to distrain have kissed the Counter. |
| k. a 1654 J. Selden Table-Talk (1689) 36 The People and the Prince kist and were Friends, and so things were quiet for a while. 1657 W. Denton Let. 5 Feb. in M. M. Verney Mem. (1894) III. ix. 301 Go, kisse and be friends, which is the advice of W{supm}. D. 1834 G. Cornish Let. 8 Feb. in G. Battiscombe John Keble (1963) x. 191 After knocking each other down half-a-dozen times, kiss and be friends. 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §334/3 Become reconciled; make up.., kiss and make up. 1958 Listener 2 Oct. 508/1 The party to which I had invited myself was a sort of Kiss-and-make-up. 1969 M. Pugh Last Place Left xviii. 128 Play the argument bit again..and then play the kiss-and-make-up bit. |
| l. 1705 in N. & Q. (1971) Feb. 46/1 You can father it..just as you did another man's philosophical essay upon the wind..when you made bold with several pages from the learned Dr. Bohun, without saying so much to the Dr. for his assistance as kiss my a–se. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones I. vi. ix. 288 The Wit..lies in desiring another to kiss your A— for having just before threatened to kick his. 1934 H. Miller Tropic of Cancer (1948) 207 If it weren't that I had learned how to kiss the boss's ass, I would have been fired. 1937 ‘G. Orwell’ Road to Wigan Pier x. 196 You ‘get on’..by..kissing the bums of verminous little lions. 1938 L. MacNeice Earth Compels 34 Let us thank God for valour in abstraction For those who go their own way, will not kiss The arse of law and order. 1956 B. Holiday Lady sings Blues (1973) vi. 60 You've got to kiss everybody's behind to get ten minutes to do eight sides in. Ibid. vii. 66, I threw the money at him and told him to kiss my ass and tell Miss Waters to do the same. 1963 Amer. Speech XXXVIII. 169 To curry favor with a professor... There are three occurrences of kiss ass. 1972 Fairbanks (Alaska) Daily News-Miner 3 Nov. 1/5 McGovern had told an airport antagonist to ‘kiss my a..’. The candidate's national political director..joked that the remark had been rather natural for a Democratic nominee. ‘After all,’ Mankiewicz said, ‘he can't say kiss my elephant.’ |
| m. 1695 Congreve Love for Love ii. 30 Oh fie Miss, you must not kiss and tell. 1846 Swell's Night Guide 88 Let those who wish to know her qualifications as une coucheuse, try her; for we will not, on all occasions, kiss and tell. 1921 G. B. Shaw Let. 30 Dec. in B. Shaw & Mrs. Campbell (1952) 235 A gentleman does not kiss and tell. |
| n. 1808 A. Taylor Original Poems for Infant Minds (1814) 72 Who ran to help me when I fell, And would..kiss the place to make it well? My Mother. 1929 E. Bowen Last September xvi. 207 She kept..feeling the bump: David must ‘kiss it better’ for her. 1966 New Society 23 June 19/1 Mothers..welcome the opportunity of being able to ‘kiss their baby better’. They find it easier to have the sick child at home. 1972 Guardian 6 May 9/1 I've got this old pain back. ‘You must go to the doctor's,’ Maggie said, when she'd failed to kiss it better. |
| o. 1935 C. Day Lewis Time to Dance 33 On January 8, 1920, their curveting wheels kissed England goodbye. 1944 ‘N. Shute’ Pastoral ix. 209 I'll tell Proctor he can kiss his truck good-bye for the rest of the day. 1959 Listener 8 Jan. 50/1 It would be exaggerating the trend to say that the Chinese are almost ready to kiss the Soviet experts goodbye. 1970 V. Gielgud Candle-Holders v. 45 If she chooses one of the Eltham team for a partner, poor George can kiss the trophy goodbye. |
| p. 1935 Amer. Speech X. 22/1 To throw (someone) down... Modern to kiss (someone) off (usually restricted in use to a person of the opposite sex). 1935 A. J. Pollock Underworld Speaks 68/1 Kissed off, defrauded of share of loot or plunder. 1945 L. Shelly Jive Talk Dict. 28/1 Kiss off, to die. 1946 ‘J. Evans’ Halo in Blood xi. 134 I'm a private eye and I've got a customer who wants to know who kissed off Marlin..and why. 1948 ― Halo for Satan (1949) vi. 83 The man who..had kissed off all raps except..the one..for income tax evasion. 1967 D. Skirrow I was following this Girl xxxvi. 219 ‘Kiss off,’ he said... ‘I told you, the girl's not here.’ 1970 C. Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 73 Kiss-off,..to die. 1973 M. & G. Gordon Informant xviii. 74 The same FBI agents..getting tough. Well, kiss them off. 1973 W. McCarthy Detail iii. 216 ‘I thought you had stopped smoking.’ ‘Kiss off, I just started again.’ |
7. Used in various collocations to denote the comparative ease of an action, etc.; as in
(as easy as) kiss my (or your, etc.) hand,
finger, etc.
| 1891 [see thumb n. 5 i]. 1909 P. Webling Story of Virginia Perfect xxv. 249 It isn't so easy to make respectable friends, and so Miss Malet will find out, though she finds it as easy as kiss-your-'and to drop them! 1924 Kipling Debits & Credits (1926) 167 The 'ole Somme front washed out as clean as kiss-me-'and! 1926 F. M. Ford Man could stand Up i. ii. 21 The prospect had seemed as near—as near as kiss your finger! 1949 J. Symons Bland Beginning 187 He wanted us to do a little job for him. It was as easy as kiss your hand. 1961 Sunday Express 12 Feb. 9/4 The cars have to be insured and that's as easy as kiss your hand. 1968 Punch 4 Sept. 330/3 The furs..dropped down like kiss-your-arm into net provided. 1973 V. Canning Flight of Grey Goose v. 92 You might be on to a bit of all right here. Yes... Sweet and easy as kiss your hand. |
Hence
kissed (
kɪst,
poet. ˈkɪsɪd),
ppl. a.| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 277/1 Kyssed, osculatus, basiatus. 1591 Spenser M. Hubberd 730 He..unto all doth yeeld due curtesie; But not with kissed hand belowe the knee. 1868 D. Cook Dr. Muspratt's Patients, etc., Milly Lance ii, It was hard to say which was the more..confused, the kisser or the kissed. |