sidekick

Etymology

It is a compound from English side + kick.^[2][3][4] In the sense "companion" the OED thinks it perhaps an alteration of side-kicker, recorded from 1894,^[2] and Green's Dictionary of Slang and the Shorter Oxford take that sense as a back-formation from it;^[5][6] Merriam-Webster derives it from side and kick or kicker.^[3] Etymonline calls the sense of the compound uncertain, and notes the earlier side-pal and side-partner (both 1886).^[7] The martial-arts sense follows coup de flanc.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A kick delivered from or towards the side: 1807, in T. Williamson's Oriental Field Sports.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In American use the word meant a passing critical remark, a sideswipe, from 1844.^[2][6] The sense now usual, a companion or close associate, especially the loyal assistant of a more important person or a partner in crime, arose in American slang in the 1890s: the OED's first record is from 1896,^[2] Etymonline's from 1901 and Green's from 1905.^[7][5] The longer side-kicker appears from 1894 and in O. Henry in 1903, and is now rare.^[2][7][6] In criminals' slang from about 1914 a side kick was a side pocket of a coat;^[5][2] D. Maurer doubted in 1935 that this was connected with the sense "pal", but in 1955 he presented the pocket as the source of the idiom.^[5][2]

Timeline

• 1807 – a kick to or from the side.^[2]
• 1844 – a passing criticism, a sideswipe.^[2]
• 1892 – martial arts, a kick made by raising one leg and thrusting it out sideways.^[2]
• 1896 – a companion, close associate or accomplice.^[2] Etymonline dates it to 1901,^[7] Merriam-Webster to 1906.^[3]
• 1914 – a side pocket, in criminals' slang.^[5] The OED's first record is from 1916.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (informal) A close friend or companion who goes along with another, usually in a subordinate role: The detective and his sidekick drove to the harbour.^[8][3][2]
2. (slang) A partner in crime; an accomplice.^[2][5][6]
3. (martial arts) A kick made by raising and bending one leg and thrusting it straight out to the side.^[2]
4. (US criminals' slang, now rare) A side pocket of a garment.^[2][5][6]
5. A passing or indirect criticism.^[2][6]

Related words

• side
• kick

References

1. ^ 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 Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d e f g Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
6. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins