Meaning of Idiom ‘Get a Kick Out of Something’
To get a kick out of something means to enjoy it or feel excitement from it; to find something amusing and therefore enjoyable. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.
The idioms ‘get a charge out of something’ and ‘get a bang out of something‘ are synonyms.
Sentence Examples
“People on the internet often seem to get a kick out of saying awful things to strangers.”
“We used to get a kick out of making prank phone calls when I was a kid.”
“There used to be a phone number you could call and it would play the theme from the Batman TV show. Everyone got a big kick out of that.”
“I get a kick out of B movies. I like to see how bad they can be.”
“That guy cannot be serious.” “I don’t know, I get a kick out of him.”
“Ignore Francis. He gets a kick out of shocking people.”
Origin
This idiom dates from at least the early 1900s. The word ‘kick’ probably alludes to the effects of alcohol consumption, a use seen since the 1840s.
Cole Porter made the idiom famous with his 1934 song, “I Get a Kick Out of You.” 3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
