kick in the pants

Also found in: Acronyms.

a kick in the pants

1. A forceful gesture or message of some kind (usually delivered with good intentions) that acts as motivation to the (previously unmotivated) recipient. These days, teenagers seem to need a swift kick in the pants to convince them to do well in school. That speeding ticket was the kick in the pants that Dan needed to get his driving under control.

2. A frustrating or unwelcome occurrence. Having to move back in with my parents at age 40 is a real kick in the pants.

3. A source of pleasure or enjoyment. Our night out was a real a kick in the pants—we had a great time.

kick in the (seat of the) pants

and kick in the ass; a kick in the butt; a kick in the teeth

Fig. Inf. a strong message of encouragement or demand. (Use ass and butt with discretion.) All he needs is a kick in the seat of the pants to get him going. A kick in the butt will get her moving.

kick in the pants

verb

See kick in the seat of the pants

kick in the (seat of the) pants, a

A reproof or reprimand; also, a goad or spur to get someone moving. Both can be literal or figurative. The idea must be very old indeed, and the expression, a euphemism for a kick in the posterior, appeared in Samuel Butler’s Hudibras (1663). A more recent term with the same meaning as the first sense is a kick in the teeth, used from the mid-twentieth century on.