“A kick in the teeth” is an English idiom used to describe an unpleasant surprise or setback, often with a bad outcome instead of an expected good outcome. It is more humiliating than being punched and is never used in a positive sense. It is widely understood and used in both American and British English.
“A kick in the teeth” is an English idiom used to indicate an unpleasant surprise or setback. It often has the more specific sense of a bad outcome occurring instead of an expected good outcome. The saying is based on a simple metaphor, implying that an event is as painful, disheartening and humiliating as being kicked in the mouth.
“Kick in the teeth” is one of many 18th-century English idioms that refer to being kicked. The song “Ain’t That A Kick in the Head,” made famous by Dean Martin, uses “kick in the head” to refer to a sudden shock, while “kick in the pants” has a similar encounter. Similarly, defeating an opponent is “kicking their ass,” while summarily kicking someone out of a business is “kicking them out.” Interestingly, there is no such range of punch-related expressions. In English slang, being kicked seems to be somewhat more humiliating than being punched, perhaps due to the visual and physical dominance suggested by the kicking gesture.
The experience described by the expression is more shocking and humiliating than some similar expressions. “A kick in the head” and “a kick in the pants” can both be the necessary shock that forces a person to change perspective. “A kick in the teeth,” however, is never used in this sense: the experience is never healthy, but always painful and frustrating. The difference may be that blows to the head and the seat of the pants are used frequently for comedic effect in the media, while being kicked in the teeth is a more violent and frightening image.
Another use of the expression is comparative, as part of the longer “better than a kick in the teeth” idiom. This is used to indicate grudging acceptance, acknowledging that while something is unsatisfactory, it could be worse. It is often used ironically, as a deliberately understated response to something the speaker actually approves of. For example, someone who receives an unexpected windfall might say “a million dollars? Well, I guess that’s better than a kick in the teeth.”
The idiom is widely understood and is used in both American and British English. As such, it appears in a variety of media. For example, a 2010 single by new metal band Papa Roach is titled “Kick in the Teeth.” The same phrase occurs as the title of singles by Supergrass and Fischerspooner.
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