kick

n. 1. A blow with the foot or feet; a striking or thrust with the foot. [ 1913 Webster ]

A kick, that scarce would move a horse,
May kill a sound divine. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The projection on the tang of the blade of a pocket knife, which prevents the edge of the blade from striking the spring. See Illust. of Pocketknife. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Brickmaking) A projection in a mold, to form a depression in the surface of the brick. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The recoil of a musket or other firearm, when discharged. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A surge of pleasure; a thrill; -- usually used in the phrase get a kick out of; as, I always get a kick out of watching an ice skater do a quadruple jump. [ informal ]
Syn. -- bang{ 3 }. [ PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Kicked 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 ] kicked the shins of his judges. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To evict or remove from a place or position, usually with out or off; as, they kicked him off the staff; he was kicked out of the restaurant; the landlord kicked them out of the apartment for making too much noise. [ PJC ]

3. (Sport) To score (goals or points) by kicking; as, they kicked three field goals in the game. [ PJC ]

4. To discontinue; -- usually used of habitual activities; as, to kick a habit; he kicked his drug habit. [ PJC ]

To kick the beam, to fit up and strike the beam; -- said of the lighter arm of a loaded balance; hence, to be found wanting in weight. Milton. --
To kick the bucket, to lose one's life; to die. [ Colloq. & Low ] --
To kick oneself, to experience strong regret; as, he kicked himself for not investing in the stock market in 1995. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

a. Capable or deserving of being kicked. “A kickable boy.” G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. pl.; sing. Kickapoo /sing>. (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians which formerly occupied the region of Northern Illinois, allied in language to the Sacs and Foxes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. recoil, of a gun or machine, as in older automobile engines when started by turning a crank. [ PJC ]

2. A secret, and usually illegal, payment, by a recipient of money paid for goods or services, to a facilitator of the transaction, of a portion of that money; specifically, any portion of a gain made by the seller in a commercial transaction which is returned surreptitiously and illegally to a person (such as a purchasing agent) who authorized or recommended the purchase. It is generally considered a form of bribe. [ PJC ]

v. t. To pay (a kickback); as, they kicked back five percent of the sales price. [ PJC ]

v. i. To recoil; -- of guns and machines. [ PJC ]

n. 1. One who, or that which, kicks. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A fact, condition, or circumstance, sometimes concealed or not obvious, which reduces or eliminates the benefit of an apparently advantageous situation; a joker{ 5 }; as, under the Soviet system, bread was good and cheap, but the kicker was that you waited in line for hours to get any, if it was available. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

3. Hence: An unforeseen added expense or additional cost; as, the printer was cheap, but the special paper it needed was an expensive kicker. [ PJC ]