kick-up
noun
a violent disturbance or argument.
kick up
British
verb
-
informal to cause (trouble, a fuss, etc)
-
See bobsy-die
kick up
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of kick-up
First recorded in 1790–95; kick ( def. ) + up ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He describes his campaign as the "kick-up the backside" for Wales to make them an important part of national culture to bring supporters, young and old, together.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2022
“It’ll kick-up this afternoon over southern Kansas and about all of Oklahoma, with rain, wind gusts of 65 mph, hail and tornadoes.”
From Reuters ● Apr. 17, 2019
I mean, my biggest fear is that we get a big kick-up in the economy and suddenly it’s only $800 million.
From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2011
Also check that the kick-up mechanism is operating properly.
From Time Magazine Archive
"What's the kick-up?" roared the gigantic corporal of the grenadier company, the moment he got his head above the combing of the hatchway.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine No. XVI.?September, 1851?Vol. III. by Various
According to one popular saying, Andean provinces are so arid that fish kick up clouds of dust as they swim through their rivers.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
The wind doesn’t look too bad right now, but it will inevitably kick up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
They just needed a kick up the backside, and they certainly got one of those from United.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
It’s only when everyday people kick up enough fuss that they attempt to save face.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2025
And at the sight of a kind face it does not lie down upon its back and kick up its heels playfully to be tickled and stroked.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
