kick in the teeth
Also found in: Acronyms.
a kick in the teeth
A humiliating disappointment or setback. Losing my job after my car broke down was a real kick in the teeth. Having to move back in with my parents at age 40 is a real in the teeth all right. Losing the championship match was a kick in the teeth, but I knew I just had to train even harder and try again next year.
kick (one) in the teeth
1. To criticize, exploit, insult, or fail to help one who is in a trusting or vulnerable position. Can Jeff's employee review wait until next week? His girlfriend just left him, and I don't want to kick him in the teeth. After telling us we'd lost our Christmas bonuses, the company kicked us in the teeth by saying we'd be expected to work Christmas Eve.
2. To deliver a humiliating disappointment or setback to one. Losing to our cross-town rivals because of such a terrible call by the ref really kicked us in the teeth.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
kick in the teeth
verbMcGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.