kick in the pants, a

Slang definitions & phrases for kick in the pants, a

kick in the ass, a

noun phrase
  1. A surprising and dampening rebuff, misfortune, etc; a slap in the face
  2. A strong stimulus or impetus; a SHOT IN THE ARM: If this campaign doesn't get a kick in the ass we're dead/ The sizzle of the 24valve V8 Mercedes M3 assures the driver of the right kind of kick in the pants (1940s+)

Idioms and Phrases with kick in the pants, a

kick in the pants, a

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Also, a kick in the teeth. A humiliating setback or rebuff. For example, That rejection was a real kick in the pants, or That review was a kick in the teeth. A third, vulgar variant of these colloquial terms is a kick in the ass. Versions of this last expression— kick in the breech, kick in the behind—have been used since the early 1800s.
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A cause of enjoyment, as in That show was a real kick in the pants. This meaning is virtually the opposite of def. 1 and can be differentiated from it only by the context. [ 1960s ]