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Sasha
Professional Teacherget one's kicks doing something
Hello!
What is the meaning of "get one's kicks doing something"? Is it frequently used or you could suggest more common phrase?
"As I have pointed out, there was always an eighteen-year-old car thief or a firebug or some guy who’d gotten his kicks handling little children." (from Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King)
Thank you!
Dec 12, 2018 12:08 PM
Answers · 11
2
get your kicks from/by (doing) something = get the kind of pleasure that you routinely like
It's a common idiom.
Some people get their kicks from answering Italki questions. When they get a thank-you or an upvote, they feel so happy and their life has renewed meaning!
December 12, 2018
2
It is a common colloquial expression. "Kicks" means pleasure that is brief and intense. Usually it involves a feeling of risk or doing something "wrong," such as alcohol, drugs, sexual climax, or an adrenaline rush from danger. It may or may not actually be illegal, it may or may not actually be risky, but it feels that way.
It can mean something that's actually illegal--Stephen King's examples are stealing a car, committing arson, molesting children. It can mean an adrenaline rush from taking risky behavior, or something that feels risky--driving a fast car, bungee-jumping, shooting an elephant.
You could say "I used to go hang-gliding, but now I get my kicks by riding the rollercoaster at Cedar Point," or "I get my kicks from amateur theatre," but it is typically used for things that are not quite socially respectable.
The Cole Porter song "I Get a Kick Out Of You" is a good illustration of use:
"I get no kick from champagne,
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all,
So darling, why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you?
"I get no kick from cocaine,
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
It would bore me terrifIcally too,
But I get a kick out of you!
"I get no kick in a plane,
Flying too high with some guy in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do--
But I get a kick out of you!"
December 12, 2018
I also don't associate "kicks" with doing something wrong (that may be generational). It is doing something enjoyable. (It's often used in the negative "that's not how I get my kicks.") It sounds a little dated and old-fashioned, but not terribly so.
Another song that uses the expression is "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" which is about taking a road trip. It was sung by singers who were known for being clean cut and not the type of singers who would be talking about doing anything wrong or risky ever.
December 12, 2018
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Sasha
Language Skills
English, French, Russian, Ukrainian
Learning Language
English, French, Russian, Ukrainian
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