Learn 8 KICK Phrasal Verbs in English: "kick back", "kick out", "kick up"...

Hi.

Welcome to www.engvid.com.

I'm Adam.

In today's video we're going to look at another set of phrasal verbs.

Now, just as a reminder: What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition: "in", "on", "at", "off",

etc. and the combination usually makes other meanings than the two words themselves.

Now, some phrasal verbs obviously have more than one meaning, so we're going to look at

the different meanings with the verb "kick".

For example: "kick in", "kick back", "kick out", "kick off", "kick about" or "kick around",

"kick up", and "kick over".

Now, some of these will have more than one meaning, some will just have the one meaning.

Some of these can also be joined to make a noun, and we're going to look at that as well.

So we're going to start with "kick in".

A few meanings to "kick in".

The more literal one, like takes the verb "kick" means to kick with your leg, so if

you kick something in, you're breaking it with your feet.

So the most common example is, like, police, they go into...

They want to go into an apartment or a house and arrest somebody, so they kick in the door.

They just break the door and they go in.

We can also say: "kick down" for the same meaning.

They kick down the door or they kick in the door, so physically break with your feet.

Another meaning of "kick" is basically take effect.

This is especially used when we're talking about drugs, when we're taking a pill.

So the doctor gave you a pill, maybe you have a really bad headache and you take a Tylenol

or an Advil, or Aspirin or whatever, and it doesn't work right away.

It takes a little time for the pill to kick in.

So basically to take effect, to start working.

So another meaning is start...

But usually a process.

Start a process.

So, now, we can also use this in other situations.

For example, a policy.

So the government decided to increase taxes, but they don't do it suddenly.

Okay?

Because a lot of people will not be ready for it, it will cause a lot of problems.

So they say: "Okay, starting in six months, we have a new policy where the tax will go

up by 1%."

So this policy will kick in on September 1st, for example, whenever that six months down

the road is.

So, "kick in" start or go into effect.

Okay?

Now, we can also use "kick in" to contribute.

So, we're going to have an office party.

Janice, the accountant, has a birthday and everybody wants to, you know, show her...

Show their appreciation for her hard work, so everybody's going to kick in five bucks,

and we collect all this money and we create a party for Janice.

Okay?

So, "kick in" basically means give, contribute to a pool.

So those are all the "kick ins".

Now, "kick back".

First of all, there's the literal one where you kick back.

Right?

So, to relax.

-"So what are you doing this weekend?"

-"Oh, nothing, just kicking back."

It means I'm sitting at home with my feet up on a table, and I'm just relaxing, doing nothing.

Another meaning of "kick back" is payment, is a type of payment, but usually it means a bribe.

Okay?

A bribe means you're paying somebody to do something for you.

The most common example that I can think of is doctors and pharmaceutical companies, the

companies that make the drugs.

So the doctor, all his patients come in and he says: "Oh, you need this prescription.

Here you go, go buy the pills.

Here, you need this prescription."

They don't need it.

Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, but some doctors just prescribe medicine for everybody

for everything.

Why?

Because the pharmacy, the pharmaceutical company gives the doctor a "kickback".

So this can be a noun as well.

A "kickback" or "kickbacks".

Okay?

It's a noun, it basically means a bribe, a payment for doing them a favour.

Okay?

So, to relax or to pay sort of underneath as a gift, as a bribe.

"To kick out", okay?

"To kick out" could be physical, means you take somebody and you kick them out the door.

So if you go to a club and you're not behaving very nicely, the bouncer, the big guys standing

at the door, they will take you and they will kick you out.

They will throw you out of the club.

But it doesn't have to be physical.

You could be in a band or in a team, or whatever, and your teammates or your bandmates have

a bit of a problem with you, it means they kick you out.

They expel you.

"Expel", usually use this word at school, if you do something bad at school, the school

will expel you, they will remove you.

So they will kick you out, it's a more slang approach to it.

And that's it, so basically a kick out physically or kick out, remove somebody, force them to

leave.

Now, before I get into "kick off", "kick out" and "kick off" can also mean the same thing,

means to remove.

But "kick off", you would kick somebody off a bus, or a plane, or a train.

So anything that you...

Basically, you get on the bus, you get into a car.

Right?

So anything that is "on", you can get kicked off of or kicked out of.

So, kicked off a bus, kicked out of the car, so remove.

So, again, so "kick off", basically remove from a bus, a train, whatever.

That's one meaning, that's the physical meaning.

Then there's also start.

"To kick something off" or to "kick things off" means to start something.

So, we're going to kick off this meeting with a little speech by Mr. Smith who wants to

let us know about something, an announcement.

So to...

We're going to kick it off, start.

In football, the game of American football, the game begins with a kickoff.

Okay?

So here, again, we use it as a noun.

"A kickoff" means they...

Somebody kicks the ball, it goes flying, the other guy catches it, and the game starts.

So, but it basically means start.

Okay.

"Kick about", "kick around", basically these two mean the same thing and are used mostly

in the same way, which is why I put them together.

In a very informal situation, this could mean discuss.

So, somebody...

Everybody will bring some ideas to the meeting and we're just going to kick them around,

kick them about, make sure everybody has their say, think about it, if it's good, if it's

bad, etc.

So, "kick around", it's informal discussion of something, of ideas usually.

We can also use it to talk about just spending

time a little bit aimlessly, not having any plans.

So, again: -"What are you doing this weekend?"

-"Oh, I'm just going to kick around with some friends.

I'm just going to kick about with some friends."

Well, we're going to go to a few clubs, a few bars, just look around, see what happens.

No real plans for this.

Now, "kick around" we can sometimes also use when we talk about, like, for example, bullying

somebody, to bully.

Like, it literally means to kick somebody, so to be a little bit physically aggressive

towards somebody.

So if you're kicking somebody around, you're treating them badly.

You could be physically treating them badly, it could also be verbally, or mentally, emotionally, etc.

More with "around", less with "about", but more or less the same idea.

"Kick up", so usually we kick up a fuss, kick up a fuss or kick up a storm, or kick up a

stink.

Phew, right?

That's a stink.

So, "kick up a stink", basically cause trouble.

It could also mean to cause pain.

So, some people they have children who do not take the word "No" very well, so the child

says: -"Oh, I want ice cream."

-"No.

You can't have ice cream until you have dinner", and this kid starts, you know, ranting and

raving, and screaming, and kicking the ground.

And basically if you think if there's a ground, and the kid starts kicking and screaming,

all the dust comes up.

Right?

So, "kick up a storm" basically means make trouble, cause trouble.

You can also "kick up" in terms of pain, so if I lift something heavy my back might kick

up, it means it might start hurting.

We also use the phrasal verb "act up".

"Act up" means give me trouble.

"Kick up" means it will give me a bit of pain.

Okay/

Actually, I forgot one.

Let me go back to "kick back".

"Kick back" is the same idea.

"Kick back" can mean to resist.

So, for example, if I own a factory and I tell all my employees that I'm going to have

to cut their hours and there's no more overtime pay, so they kick back, they...

Basically they resist this change or they revolt.

They don't like it, so they're going to start pushing back against me, the owner of the

thing.

And in this case we can also use "kickback" in terms of the resistance.

Right?

So, I made a new policy for the workers and there was a lot of kickback.

They revolted, a lot of them quit, some of them spoke about going on strike against my

new changes.

Okay, so I forgot that one.

And "kick over" is very simple.

You kick something and it falls over, so basically topple.

So, only the one meaning, very literal, kick with your leg, make something fall over.

Okay, and that's basically it for "kick".

I hope everybody has these clear.

If you have any questions about this...

About these, please go to www.engvid.com, there's a forum you can ask all the questions

you have.

There's also a quiz where you can practice using these phrasal verbs.

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and I'll see you again very soon. Bye-bye.