Kick Your Tail
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "kick your tail" is a colorful threat of punishment or a promise to defeat someone badly. It’s the polite, family-friendly stand-in for "kick your butt."
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Hillbilly Dude Says...
My brothers would threaten me with 'kick your tail' growin' up. I haven't heard it in awhile, though. Hillbilly Dude Says...
My brothers would threaten me with 'kick your tail' growin' up. I haven't heard it in awhile, though. Pronunciation
[KIK yur TAYL]
Meaning & Usage
- To punish or spank (verb phrase, figurative)
Mae:
Them boys still hollerin’?
Them boys still hollerin’?
Earl:
Yep, and I told ’em I’d kick their tails if they didn’t mind.
Yep, and I told ’em I’d kick their tails if they didn’t mind.- To defeat badly (verb phrase, figurative)
Mae:
How’d it go?
How’d it go?
Earl:
Other team kicked our tails good.
Other team kicked our tails good.variations: kick your butt (cleaner form), whoop, bust your rear end, coach said he’d kick our tails if we slacked, she’ll kick your tail if you sass her, they kicked our tails in the ballgame
★ "Kicking someone’s tail" is usually just a threat - not literal. Parents, teachers, and coaches used it as a clean substitute for "butt" when scolding or warning. ★
Origin and Etymology
Derived from the literal act of kicking someone’s backside. In rural American speech, "tail" became the polite word, making the phrase common in Southern and Appalachian family talk.
Usage Notes
Still widely used in the South and Appalachia, both for discipline threats and in sports talk. Recognized nationally, though outside the region it often sounds playful or old-fashioned.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "kick yer tail." Often quick: "kick-yer-tail."
Kin Topics
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How to Cite This Page
- APA (7th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, September 5). Kick Your Tail. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/kick-your-tail
- MLA (9th edition)"The Hillbilly Dude." "Kick Your Tail." HillbillySlang.com, 5 Sept. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/kick-your-tail.
- Chicago (17th edition)The Hillbilly Dude. "Kick Your Tail." HillbillySlang.com. September 5, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/sayings/kick-your-tail.
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