▪ I. kicking, vbl. n.
(ˈkɪkɪŋ)
[f. kick v.1 + -ing1.]
a. The action of the vb. kick, in various senses.
| 1552 Huloet, Kyckynge, calcitratio. 1612 Sir H. Nevill in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 112 Much kicking there is both against you and me severally, but more against the coupling of us together. 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy iii, Her sobs, and..stampings and kickings, amazed young gallipot. 1869 Ld. Clermont Fortescue-Family Hist. II. ix. 138 Having missed every shot..from the excessive ‘kicking’ of the gun. |
b. attrib., as
kicking-distance,
kicking room, etc.;
kicking-muscle, the muscle which raises the femur in kicking;
kicking plate, a metal plate fixed to the lower part of a door, etc., to prevent damage or wear;
kicking-strap, (
a) a strap adjusted to prevent a horse from kicking; also
fig.; (
b)
Naut. a rope lanyard fixed to the boom to prevent it from rising.
| 1897 Century Mag. 562/2 Not to allow one's horse to approach within *kicking-distance of another. |
| 1866 W. B. Hawkins Artistic Anat. Horse (ed. 3) 72 Prominent on the front and outer part of the haunch is the glutæus medius... It has been called the ‘*kicking muscle’. |
| 1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 476/1 *Kicking plate (Join.), a plate fixed on the face of the bottom rail of a door, to prevent the damage caused by persons kicking the door to open it. 1959 Engineering 16 Jan. 94/3 At the base of each frame is a kicking plate of porcelain-enamelled sheet steel. |
| 1838 J. L. Stephens Trav. Greece, etc. 40/1, I..measured off space enough to fit my body, allowing turning and *kicking room. |
| 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. vi. (1889) 56 They had..his belly-band buckled across his back, and no *kicking strap. 1951 G. Pennant Young Sailor v. 70 It is to prevent the boom from lifting that a kicking strap is fitted. 1961 R. M. Tetley Sailing ii. 47 It is in a gybe that a kicking-strap proves its worth, since it holds down the after end of the boom thereby allowing complete control to be maintained over the sail at all stages of the manœuvre. |
▪ II. ˈkicking, ppl. a. [-ing2.] a. That kicks, in senses of the verb; also in
colloq. phr. alive and kicking: indubitably alive; very lively and active.
| 1552 Huloet, Kyckynge horse. c 1610 Women Saints 25 The wanton or kicking flesh of yong maydes, she would represse with often or double fastings. 1797 Burke Regic. Peace iii. Wks. VIII. 272 The Turk..gave him two or three lusty kicks... Our traveller..begged the kicking Mussulman ‘to accept his perfect assurances of high consideration’. c 1831 J. R. Planché Olympic Devils in Extravaganzas (1879) I. 71 Plu. Alive? Char. And kicking. 1840 New Monthly Mag. LVIII. 497 He is (as the Irishman says), ‘alive and kicking’. 1860 Grandmother's Money I. 124 So I started off to Stamford Street, just to shew that I was alive and kicking. 1890 Boston (Mass.) Jrnl. 20 Feb. 2/2 A kicking Democratic Senator in Ohio threatens to upset the..apportionment scheme. 1930 R. Lehmann Note in Music 130 He seemed to imply with amusement how particularly alive they were. ‘Father, mother, two young brothers, and sister Clare, all alive and kicking.’ 1966 L. Southworth Felon in Disguise xi. 158 I'd feel happier if I knew Donaldson was alive and kicking. |
b. Cricket. Of the ground, a bowler, or his bowling: causing the ball to ‘kick’ (see
kick v.
1 3 b). Also of a lawn-tennis service.
| 1885 J. Lillywhite Cricketers' Compan. 53 The Gloucestershire batsmen found Palmer unplayable on a ‘kicking’ wicket. 1888 Daily News 5 July 5/2 He says that good batsmen to-day cannot play on a rough kicking wicket. 1891 W. G. Grace Cricket iii. 67 My brother was the faster [bowler], and on a rough kicking wicket met with great success. 1924 F. G. Lowe Lawn Tennis 12 The only way to take a fast kicking service. |
Sense b in
Dict. becomes c. Add:
b. Exciting, lively; great, excellent.
slang.
| 1989 Just Seventeen 20 Dec. 19/3 Her latest song is really kickin' and we think she's probably the best female newcomer. 1991 Esquire Jan. 57/2 ‘You were really kickin', girl!’ ‘Brilliant!’ They whoop and cheer. 1991 Sun 13 June 23/6 The joint was kicking. 1993 Entertainment Weekly (U.S.) 23 Apr. 26/1 Check out Joey, adopting a finger-pointing, in-yo'-face rap stance in his customary quasi-grunge ensemble of T-shirt, artfully ripped jeans.., plaid flannel shirt, and kickin' motorcycle boots. Yum! |