to kick butt
18
8.5
- phrasal verb
- /kɪk bʌt/
- Slang
:
arrasar
- She really kicked butt on her presentation, impressing everyone in the audience.
- let's go kick butt
- kick butt and take names
- ready to kick butt
He seems like he could kick butt for America, you know, square jaw.
- He seems like he could kick butt for America, you know, square jaw.
- This is an area where small brands are kicking butt.
- So far, Tesla's, Tesla's kind of got open turf, so they're kicking butt.
- Additionally, Elon Musk talked about how Tesla's kicking butt.
- For six months, I function like a journalist, like I'm covering City Hall kicking butt.
Examples
-
I have got to say, Obama is kicking butt right now.
Blog text (25) -
Now get out there and kick butt!
-
l get to kick butt with my two best friends.
-
I was going to kick butt and take names.
Fiction book (1991) -
You are kicking butt and taking names!
Blog text (25) -
I'll enjoy watching you kick butt and take names from the reality-based side of the fence.
Blog text (28) -
Time to kick butt!
-
I came here to drink boba and kick butt, and I am all out of boba.
-
You will kick butt again, and I believe this may be what gets you in the 120s you've been working towards!
Blog text (1) -
Let's kick butt!
Synonyms
65
9.3
To be very good and impressive
15
7.9
Do very well in a competition or challenge
11
8.7
To beat someone by a large amount in a contest or game
6
8.3
To be very good and impress people
3
9.9
To do very well and act confidently, often in a forceful way
1
8.8
Beat someone by a lot
Antonyms
How Well
Surface Forms
Morphology
kick + butt
The literal words 'kick' and 'butt' suggest physically striking or defeating someone, so a learner who knows both words can infer a metaphorical sense of defeating or dominating others; this yields a plausible connection to 'perform exceptionally well' in competition. However, the expression is informal/slang and the exact nuance ('do very well' vs. 'defeat someone') and pragmatic register are not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The phrase kick butt may come from the strong image of someone physically kicking another person's butt to show they have beaten them. That's why today it means 'to perform very well' or 'to defeat others' in a competition.