kicker

Etymology

It is formed from English kick + -er,^[2][3][4] an agent noun from the verb.^[5] The verb kick, recorded from the late 14th century, is of uncertain origin:^[5][2] it may come from a Scandinavian source, compare Old Norse kikna (“to bend backwards, sink at the knees”),^[6][5] a view Liberman supports against the OED's doubts,^[5] while the Welsh cicio, often cited as its source, is itself from English.^[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

One that kicks, especially a horse or other animal given to kicking: 1574, in J. Baret's Aluearie,^[2][5] about 1580 according to Merriam-Webster.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The word was first used of horses.^[5][2] Johnson (1755) defined it only as "one who strikes with his foot".^[8] In American English it came to mean a person who complains or rebels, from the figurative sense of the verb: Green's Dictionary of Slang finds it in the Chicago Tribune in 1876,^[9] and the OED from 1888, also for one who breaks away from a political party.^[2] In sport, a player who kicks the ball is recorded from 1829, in the Sydney Monitor, and later a player whose role is to kick goals and conversions;^[2][10] in cricket a kicker was a ball that rises sharply off the pitch (1894).^[2][3] Many technical uses followed: in mining, in poker for a high card kept with a pair (1892), in lumbering for a device that throws logs (1922), and in North America for an outboard motor (1928).^[2][10] American slang added a thrill and a hidden consequence or twist, both from 1941, then from 1951 a culminating action.^[9] In Yorkshire a kicker was a wooden bat used in the game of knur and spell, and in Cornwall a small mizzen sail on fishing boats.^[11]

Timeline

• 1574 – a horse or other animal that kicks.^[2]
• 1829 – a player who kicks the ball.^[2]
• 1876 – (US) a person who complains or objects.^[9][2]
• 1892 – in poker, a high card kept with a pair.^[2]
• 1894 – in cricket, a ball that rises sharply.^[2]
• 1922 – a device for throwing logs.^[2]
• 1928 – an outboard motor.^[2]
• 1941 – (US slang) a thrill; a hidden twist or consequence.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person or animal that kicks, especially a horse given to kicking.^[7][10][2]
2. In football and rugby, a player who takes the place kicks, conversions, penalties or punts.^[7][10][2]
3. (informal) A sudden, surprising twist or turn, especially at the end of a story.^[12][4][9]
4. (informal, chiefly US) A hidden drawback or condition; a catch: The flights are cheap, but the kicker is the baggage fee.^[10][12][4]
5. (US) A person who habitually complains or protests.^[7][2][9]
6. In poker, a card that decides between otherwise equal hands, such as the highest unpaired card.^[10][2]
7. (North American, informal) A small outboard motor.^[10][2]
8. A mechanical device that pushes, throws or ejects something, such as logs from a conveyor.^[7][2]
9. In cricket, a ball that rises sharply off the pitch.^[2][3]

Related words

• kick

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
7. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
9. ^ a b c d e f Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
10. ^ a b c d e f g Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
11. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
12. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt