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Glite Dictionary
kiss and cry

kiss and cry

1 9.4
An area at competitions like figure skating where athletes and coaches wait for scores and show emotion
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : zona de besos y lágrimas
  • The tension in the kiss and cry area was palpable as they waited for the announcement of their scores.

Examples

  • In the kiss and cry zone, both the athlete and her coach celebrated the successful routine with joyful tears.

  • Well, it's all smiles here in the Crest kiss and cry area.

    Blades of Glory (2007)

  • After her performance, she rushed to the kiss and cry area to await the judges' scores with her coach.

Surface Forms

kiss and cry singular
kiss and cries plural

Morphology

kiss + and + cry

The elements 'kiss' and 'cry' transparently signal emotional reactions and the coordination with 'and' could suggest a place associated with those reactions, but the precise, institutionalized meaning — a specific waiting area at competitions for receiving scores — is domain-specific and not directly derivable from the literal parts. Because there is a clear partial connection to the constituents yet the specialized locational sense requires exposure, the expression is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Kiss and cry comes from figure skating TV shows. One popular story says TV producers called the waiting area the kiss and cry because skaters often kissed coaches or partners and then cried while they waited for their 'scores', so the name now means the place where athletes wait and show their feelings.