to get one's kicks
- idiom
- Informal
:
divertirse
- He's a gentleman gambler, gets his kicks playing with hustlers.
Examples
-
That's how he gets his kicks.
-
I'll bet you he gets his kicks giving old ladies the heebie-jeebies.
-
MAN 1: I think they got their kicks just watching, you know.
-
You know something, I think this is how you get your kicks.
-
So he just gets his kicks, following you around and giving you a hard time.
-
Is this how you get your kicks, hon?
-
I get my kicks in the market with the bulls and the bears.
-
So you don't think I'm some old maiden just trying to get my kicks out of a handsome young man?
-
I’m gonna get my kicks while I’m still young enough to get 'em.
-
He loves to travel and get his kicks from exploring new cultures.
Synonyms
3
7.2
To have fun and forget your worries
2
7.0
To enjoy something and feel excited by it
How Excited
Surface Forms
Morphology
If a learner knows 'get' (to obtain), 'one's' (possessive), and 'kicks' (pleasure, excitement), the overall meaning 'to obtain one's pleasure/excitement' is directly derivable from the parts. The phrase is informal/slangy but compositional (following a common 'get + noun' pattern), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can understand it.
Etymology
The idiom get one's kicks may come from the image of a sudden physical kick that gives a strong feeling of excitement. That's why to 'get your kicks' now means 'to get excitement or pleasure' from something.