Language: en
Meaning: (ambitransitive)To make the firstkickin a game or part of a game.The playerskick offfor the third quarter and the clock starts.; (ambitransitive,idiomatic)Tostart; tolaunch; toset in motion.Synonym:start offCoordinate term:set offLet'skick offthis project with a planning meeting.The projectkicked offwith an energy-sapping meeting.2013August 19, Louise Taylor, “English talent gets left behind as Premier League keeps importing”, inThe Guardian[1]:Not since Coventry in 1992 has a Premier League sidekicked offa campaign with an all-English XI but things have reached the point where, of the 61 signings who have cost the elite division's 20 clubs a transfer fee this summer, only 12 have involved Englishmen.2019July 13, Nosheen Iqbal, “Extinction Rebellion kick off weekend of protest with Dalston blockade”, inThe Observer[2]:On Saturday the groupkicked offa weekend of activity ahead of its summer uprising this week, which aims to disrupt five major UK cities and shock people into action against the climate crisis.2022August 1,Off the Leash, Darwin, NT, page 6, column 1:Tokickit alloff, there's a street parade through the Todd Mall, followed by a full-day of competitions with a lolly scramble for the kids[.]; (transitive)Todismiss; toexpel; to remove from a position.Coordinate term:kick outI gotkicked offthe team after a string of poor performances; (intransitive,US,idiomatic,colloquial,euphemistic)To die or quit permanently.It's a wonder that old dog hasn'tkicked offyet.; (intransitive,US,idiomatic)Toshut downorturn offsuddenly.The washer was working fine until itkicked offin the middle of a cycle.The circuit breaker, a power failure, and the e-stop button are the only things we can think of that might have caused that pump tokick offwhen it did.; (intransitive,idiomatic)To suddenly become more active.Coordinate term:flare upThe partykicked offwhen the third bottle of wine was opened.2007, Robert Ortiz,A Walking Distance, AuthorHouse,→ISBN, page177:I understood that I was missing out on a lot of his life and if the war reallykicked offI was going to be gone for an even longer amount of time.; (transitive,US,idiomatic,ranching,slang)To force the weaning of a bovine cow's calf by restricting the calf's access to its mother's udders, whether by literally kicking it away or another method.A week after wekicked offher calf that cow was still bawling.; (intransitive,UK,idiomatic,colloquial)To be overcome with anger, to start an argument or a fight; to behave aggressively.When she called him a drunk, it was the last straw. He justkicked off.2024April 17, “Rural railways: do they deliver?”, inRAIL, number1007, page57:The chap opposite seems to be trying to pull a fast one, and having seen the guard is trying to buy a ticket online... but doesn't succeed. The guard helpfully sells him one, but not quite at the price of one purchased in advance. In fairness he doesn'tkick off, nor does the guard treat him like some common criminal. It's a fair cop - or should that be a fare cop?; (intransitive,UK,idiomatic,colloquial,impersonal)To have a fight or argument start; to fight or argue.It reallykicked offin town when the team lost.2010, Kenny Sansom,To Cap It All, John Blake Publishing,→ISBN:Suddenly it allkicked offon the terraces as horrendous violence and disgraceful scenes were picked up by television cameras.
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Sourced from Wiktionary