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

Keep an eye on Jacksonville kicker Cam Little, who made a 70-yard field goal in a preseason game; the record long is 66 yards by Justin Tucker in a 2021 game.

From Los Angeles Times

But here's the kicker - Sabalenka's tendency to combust at a critical juncture means only three of those have resulted in titles.

From BBC

Let’s hear it for the soccer players embracing football as kickers.

From Los Angeles Times

Anchored by kicker Cameron Dicker, punter JK Scott and long snapper Josh Harris, the Chargers’ specialists have been a bedrock of stability the past three seasons.

From Los Angeles Times

But the freshman All-American kicker will miss the Trojans’ opener and potentially more time as he recovers from an injury that’s kept him on the shelf through camp.

From Los Angeles Times