kicker

Everyday

1. A kicker is a player who kicks the ball, especially in American football or rugby, to score points or kick it far. tree →
2. (informal) The kicker is a surprising twist or extra fact at the end, often an unpleasant one. tree →
3. (informal) A kicker is a person or animal that kicks. tree →

In the lessons

Sport: «the team's kicker», «goal kicker» in rugby and Australian football. Everyday: «And here's the kicker…» introduces a surprise. Stories: a donkey that is a kicker.

Examples

• The kicker scored the winning goal in the last second. tree →
• The rugby team's best kicker took the conversion. tree →
• The trip was cancelled, and the kicker was we'd already packed. tree →
• Watch out, that horse is a kicker. tree →
• And here's the kicker: the treasure was fake! tree →
• The kicker practises every day. tree →

Note

Plural: kickers. «The kicker» meaning «the surprising part» is informal.