1847. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, iv. Mr. Joseph Sedley . . . was actually seated tête-à-tête with a young lady, looking at her with a most killing expression.
1883. Saturday Review, 21 April, p. 502, col. 2. Mr. Toole is as killingly funny in this as he is in the still and constantly popular farce of Mr. Guffin's Elopement.
Kill-priest, subs. (provincial).—Port
wine.
Kill-the-beggar, subs. (common).—Whiskey.
For synonyms see
Drinks and Old Man's Milk.
Kill-time, subs. (colloquial).—A
pastime.
Kilmarnock-cowl, subs. (old Scots').—1.
A knitted nightcap; and (2)
by inplication the wretch that
wore one.
1830. Scott, Bonnie Dundee. These Cowls of Kilmarnock had spits and had spears And long-hafted gullies to kill Cavaliers.
Kilmarnock-whittle, subs. (Scots').
A person of either sex, already
engaged or betrothed.—Jamieson.
Kilter. See Kelter.
Kilt, adv. (Irish).—Killed.
1836. Marryat, Japhet, iii. Sure enough, it cured me, but wasn't I quite kilt before I was cured.
Kimbaw, verb. (Old Cant).—1. To
trick; to cheat; to cozen. Also (2),
to beat; to bully.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Kimbaw. Let's kimbow the Cull, Let's beat that Fellow and get his money.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1839. Ainsworth, J. Sheppard, p. 23 [ed. 1840]. 'Ay! ay!' cried several of the bystanders, 'let Jonathan kimbaw the cove. He's got the gift of the gab.'
Kimbo (or Kimbaw). To set the
arms akimbo, verb. phr. (old:
now colloquial).—To set hands on
hips with the elbows cocked.
1606. John Day, Ile of Guls, ii. 4, p. 52. Set mine armes a kimbo thus, Wrethe my necke and my bodie thus.
1677. Wycherley, Plain Dealer, ii. Nov. But he has no use of his arms but to set 'em on kimbow.
1712. Arbuthnot, Hist. of John Bull, iii. x. He observed Frog and old Lewis edging towards one another to whisper; so that John was forced to sit with his arms akimbo to keep them asunder.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5th ed.) [s.v.] Kembo (v.) to set or put one's hand upon one's hip, to strut or look big.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Kimbaw. To set one's arms a kimbaw, vulgarly pronounced 'a kimbo,' is to rest one's hands on the hips, keeping the elbows square, and sticking out from the body, an insolent bullying attitude.
1837. Marryat, Snarleyow, i. ch. xii. Poll put her arms akimbo; At the Admiral's house looked she.
1857. A. Trollope, Barchester Towers, xxxiii. She tossed her head, and put her arms a-kimbo, with an air of confident defiance.
Kinchin (or Kinchen), subs. (old).—1.
A child; a boy; a young man.
Also Kinchen Cove (q.v.).
1567. Harman, Caveat, p. 76. A kynchen co is a young boye, traden vp to suche peuishe purposes as you haue harde of other young ympes before, that when he groweth vnto yeres, he is better to hang then to drawe.
1607. Dekker, Jests to Make You Merie, in Wks. (Grosart), ii. 329. Kinchen the coue towres, which is as much as, Fellow the man smokes or suspects you.
1608. Dekker, Belman of London, in Wks. (Grosart), iii. 105. These kinchins, the first thing they doe is to learne how
