Etymologically
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kicker

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:51. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈkɪkə/[1]
  • US: /ˈkɪkɚ/[1]

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]

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