kicker

[kik-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that kicks.

2. Informal.

   1. a disadvantageous point or circumstance, usually concealed or unnoticed.

      The tickets are free, but the kicker is that you have to wait in line for hours to get them.

   2. a surprising change or turn of events.

      The kicker was that their friends knew it before they did.

3. something extra, as an additional cost or gain; an added expense or financial incentive.

4. Draw Poker.,  a card, usually an ace or face card, held with a pair or three of a kind in the hope of drawing a matching card.

5. (in concrete construction) a low plinth at the base of a column.

6. Slang.,  kickers, shoes, especially leisure shoes.

7. Nautical.

   1. a small, low-powered outboard motor.

   2. an auxiliary engine on a sailing vessel, river steamer, etc.

8. Slang.,  the alcoholic liquor in a mixed drink.

9. Also called eyebrow, highline, overline, teaser. Printing, Journalism.,  a short line of copy set in a distinctive type above a headline and intended to call attention to it.

10. Metallurgy.,  a charge of high-carbon iron that produces a vigorous boil when charged into an open-hearth furnace containing slag and molten metal of lower carbon content.

11. Also called kicker light. Photography.,  a light source coming from the back and side of a subject and producing a highlight.

kicker

/ ˈkɪkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that kicks

2. sport a player in a rugby or occasionally a soccer team whose task is to attempt to kick conversions, penalty goals, etc

3. slang,  a hidden and disadvantageous factor, such as a clause in a contract

4. informal,  any light outboard motor for propelling a boat

5. poker the highest unpaired card in a hand, used to decide the outcome of an otherwise tied round

Word History and Origins

Origin of kicker¹

First recorded in 1565–75; kick + -er ¹

Example Sentences

And yes, colleges need good, reliable long snappers to help their punters and kickers.

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There’s lots of kickers this season with the ability to try long field goals, but they must first get the permission from their coach.

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The 26-year-old Saracens forward is a fine kicker too, nailing 17 conversions so far in this year's World Cup - the most in the tournament.

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A good tactical kicker from playing at fly-half, where she scored a record 27 points against Samoa, and her exciting running game make Rowland a natural fit.

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The undersized junior kicker continues to make clutch field goals for the Pirates, just as his father once did.

Read more on Los Angeles Times