A-Z Database

A-Z Database

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Killing time

see Time to kill


Kilter

see Out of kilter


Kindred spirit/soul

A person who shares the same beliefs, attitudes etc with another, dates from the mid-19th century, but it is not known who coined the phrase.


Kiss arse/ass

see Kiss someone’s arse/ass


Kiss my arse/ass

This has been a vulgar, insulting invitation, but not a literal one, since the early 18th century when it would have been ‘kiss mine arse’. As an excl...

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Kiss of death

This is something or someone that ultimately brings disaster or dysfunction to any endeavour. It is thought to derive from the most infamous kiss of d...

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Kiss someone’s arse/ass

To kiss someone’s arse/ass or to kiss arse/ass is a vulgar, colloquial metaphor to behave in a flattering and obsequious manner, especially towards a...

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Kiss the dust

see Bite the dust


Kisser

British slang for mouth since the 1860s.


Kissing gate

These gates are commonplace throughout the British countryside. The short swing of the gate and its design are such that pedestrians can pass through,...

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Kit and caboodle

The full expression is the whole kit and caboodle, which means the whole lot and it is first attested from America during the mid-19th century. The eu...

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Kitchen sink

see Everything but (or including) the kitchen sink


Kite/kiting

Kite as in a flying paper or fabric kite attached to a string and flown from the ground gets its name from the bird of prey of the same name and dates...

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Kith and kin

Means friends and relations but the phrase is often used wrongly these days to refer to blood relatives only. Kith and kin are very old words of Norse...

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Klick

Originally US military term for kilometer, not cited before the mid-1960s. Now also used by NATO forces. The etymology is obscure. Most likely a pseu...

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