English Explanatory Dictionary

kick the can down the road

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To avoid or postpone a decision or action; to procrastinate.

Pronunciation

En-au-kick the can down the road.ogg

Word forms

kick the can down the road kicks the can down the road kicking the can down the road kicked the can down the road

Etymology

Attested as an activity of idle urban youths since the late 19th century. The modern sense of procrastinate dates from the 1980s.

Synonyms

adjourn avert defer delay dilly-dally draw out extend forslow forestall forestay kick into the long grass kick the can down the road postpone procrastinate prolong prorogue prorogate protract put off put on hold put on ice retard roll back stay suspend tarry

Related words

can-kicking carry the can kick at the can kick into the long grass
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on K Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary