I have heard the word 'kiss' used to mean attack or damage, for example 'Kiss him upside the head with a baseball bat'.
Where did this usage originate?
Where did this usage originate?
'Kiss' meaning to damage
- Thread starter visceral_instinct
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Lol, I do that too.
I remember when I was a bit younger, my favourite slang word was 'raped'. I'd find any excuse to say 'raped' at least once per conversation. It was my all purpose word. 'I'm completely raped' meant being tired. 'My eyes are raped from hayfever' meant inflamed. 'This computer's raped' meant not working.
I remember when I was a bit younger, my favourite slang word was 'raped'. I'd find any excuse to say 'raped' at least once per conversation. It was my all purpose word. 'I'm completely raped' meant being tired. 'My eyes are raped from hayfever' meant inflamed. 'This computer's raped' meant not working.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
But that at least makes sense. It's the use of a more serious word to describe a somewhat similar but less serious condition; a type of exaggeration for effect.
Just saying the computer "crashed" is the same thing. Presumably you're not talking about an actual head crash that will require physical repair and restoration of data from backup files, but merely a deadlock or some other software problem that will be forgotten after a reboot, usually with no loss of data.
On the other hand, to use "kiss" for "injure" is a form of sarcasm: saying the opposite of what you mean. Sarcasm is a form of humor. Like puns and other types of humor based on the structure of language rather than making fun of someone's misfortune, it's often misunderstood.
I've always thought that "kiss" meant a light touch in that sort of context. In other words, "Hit him upside the head, but not too hard."
Ah, good point.
Like saying 'a nice big mess' when you obviously don't think it's nice.
Maybe from billiards. I remember hearing pool players talking about kissing the ball off the.... In that context kiss was a soft touch. I also have heard kiss used in other contexts for a very soft touch.
I am guessing that kiss as a hard touch (like with a baseball bat) started as a sort of mean playful sarcastic allusion to the older use of of kiss as a soft touch.