To kick the beam

To kick the beam
Kick 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] 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]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • kick the beam — phrasal 1. : to be extremely lightly weighted 2. : to become or be of extremely small value the prices of building plots kicked the beam Marguerite Steen …   Useful english dictionary

  • kick the beam — Be outweighed, be overbalanced, be overpoised, be the lighter …   New dictionary of synonyms

  • To kick the bucket — Kick 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 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • kick the bucket — verb pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life She died from cancer The children perished in the fire The patient went peacefully The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of 102 • Syn: ↑die,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • kick the bucket — vb to die. The phrase dates from the 17th or 18th centuries and the bucket in question may be either a suicide s prop or, more probably, a British dialect word (also in the form bucker ) for the beam from which slaughtered animals were hung. ►… …   Contemporary slang

  • 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

  • strike the beam — To be of little weight or importance (figurative from the lighter scale in a balance rising so as to strike against the beam) ● kick …   Useful english dictionary

  • kick — /kɪk / (say kik) verb (t) 1. to strike with the foot. 2. to drive, force, make, etc., by or as by kicks. 3. to strike in recoiling. 4. Football to score (a goal) by a kick. –verb (i) 5. to strike out with the foot. 6. to have the habit of thus… …  

  • To kick oneself — Kick 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 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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… …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

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