kick in the teeth

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

kick in the teeth (plural kicks in the teeth)

1. (idiomatic) A humiliating insult or instance of bad treatment, especially when one is expecting friendship or in need of support; a sudden and unexpected setback; a strong rebuff.

   Synonym: slap in the face

   • 1996, Evelyn Shakir, “Arab-American Literature”, in Alpana Sharma Knippling, editor, New Immigrant Literatures in the United States: A Sourcebook to Our Multicultural Literary Heritage, page 13:

     This kick in the teeth, brutal under any circumstances, is more so, given Matoussem Ramoud's gentle, trusting nature and his infatuation with America.

   • 1998, Annetta Louise Gomez-Jefferson, In Darkness with God: The Life of Joseph Gomez, a Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, page 331:

     King had remarked after the bill failed that a lot of people had lost faith in America; Roy Wilkins had said, “This defeat was a kick in the teeth to the civil rights effort.”

   • 2006, Kevin Leman, Sex Begins in the Kitchen: Creating Intimacy to Make Your Marriage Sizzle, page 119:

     She had found her niche by being truant from school, giving people a bad time, and basically giving her parents' strict moral values a good, strong kick in the teeth.

Derived terms

• better than a kick in the teeth

Translations

A humiliating insult or instance of bad treatment; a setback; a rebuff