kiten.
/kʌɪt/, U.S. /kaɪt/ 1. A bird of prey of the family Falconidæ and subfamily Milvinæ, having long wings, tail usually forked, and no tooth in the bill.
a. originally and esp. the common European species Milvus ictinus ( M. regalis, M. vulgaris), also distinctively called fork-tailed kite, royal kite, or (from its reddish-brown general colour) red kite, and glede, formerly common in England, but now very rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [noun] > kites > genus Milvus (kite)
gledec725
kitec725
pittelOE
puttockc1175
milan1484
pipe gledea1525
kite-wolf1607
pew-glede1615
red kite1792
royal kite1792
milvine1885
fork-tail1893
shite-hawk1944
c725 Corpus Gloss. 333 Butio, cyta.
13.. K. Alis. 3048 Nultow never late ne skete A goshauk maken of a kete.
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 321 Ther cam a kyte, whil þt they were so wrothe That bar awey the boon bitwix hem bothe.
c1450 Bk. Hawkyng in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 298 Draw hym oute of the mewe and put him in a grove, in a crowys neste, other in a kuytes.
1539 C. Tunstall Serm. Palme Sondaye (1823) 74 Their carkases there to lye to be deuoured by kytes & crowes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. i. 249 Wer't not all one, an emptie Eagle were set, To guard the Chicken from a hungry Kyte . View more context for this quotation
1663 A. Cowley Ess. in Verse & Prose (1669) 6 To kites and meaner Birds he leaves the mangled Prey.
1766 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. ii. 66 The kite generally breeds in large forests, or wooded mountanous countries.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth vii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. II. 187 Her ear for bad news was as sharp as a kite's scent for carrion.
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. III 301 With wide wing The fork-tailed restless kite sailed over her, Hushing the twitter of the linnets near.
b. Applied with qualifying words to other species of the genus, or of the subfamily Milvinæ. Arabian kite n. Milvus ægyptiacus. Australian kite n. (or square-tailed kite) M. isurus ( Lophoictinia isura). brahminy kite n. Haliastur indus of Hindustan. Indian kite n. (or pariah kite) Milvus govinda. Mississippi kite n. Ictinia mississippiensis. pearl kite n. (or white-tailed kite) Elanus leucurus of North America. swallow-tailed kite n. Elanoides forficatus of North America.black, black-winged kite: see first element.Also locally applied (or misapplied), with or without qualification, to birds belonging to other divisions of Falconidæ, as the Buzzard ( bald kite), Hen-harrier, and Kestrel.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [noun] > kites > elanoides forficatus
swallow-tailed falcon1678
swallow-tailed hawk1678
swallow-kite1837
swallow-tailed kite1843
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Buzart, a Buzzard, or Bald-kite.
1818 M. M. Sherwood Stories Church Catech. (ed. 4) x. 53 No answer..was made.., excepting by the pigeons and brahminee kites.
1843 W. Yarrell Hist. Brit. Birds I. 72 The Swallow-tailed Kite..is only an occasional visitor to this country.
1847 F. W. L. Leichhardt Jrnl. Overland Exped. Austral. x. 321 We had to guard it by turns..from a host of square-tailed kites (Milvus isurus).
1893 A. Newton et al. Dict. Birds: Pt. II 491 There is a second European species..the Milvus migrans or M. ater of most authors, smaller in size... In some districts this is much commoner than the red Kite.
2. figurative. A person who preys upon others, a rapacious person; a sharper; also more indefinitely as a term of reproach or detestation.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > robber > spoiler or plunderer > [noun]
riflera1350
ravenerc1384
pillerc1385
preyerc1390
raptora1398
peelera1425
despoiler1467
spulyierc1475
pillardc1485
ruggerc1485
pollera1513
booty-fellow1530
spoiler1535
caterpillar1541
kitea1556
ransacker?1576
predator1581
lurdan1589
worm1591
scraper1598
pillager?1611
ravager1611
bird of preya1616
depredator1626
plunderer1639
expilator1658
shark1713
depredationist1828
spoliator1831
rapiner1843
ravisher1851
a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) v. v. sig. H.iiij Roister Doister that doughtie kite.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V ii. i. 74 Fetch forth the lazar kite of Cresides kinde, Doll Tear-sheete.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear iv. 256 Detested kite, thou list. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. xiii. 89 Ah you Kite . View more context for this quotation
a1625 J. Fletcher Wit without Money (1639) i. sig. B1 Maintaine hospitals for Kites, and curs.
1841 T. Carlyle Baillie in Crit. & Misc. Ess. (1872) VI. 235 Food for learned sergeants and the region kites!
3. figurative.1781 Bell's Poets I. Life King p. xxiii Some of the political kites which flew about at that time.
a. [ < its hovering in the air like the bird.] A toy consisting of a light frame, usually of wood, with paper or other light thin material stretched upon it; mostly in the form of an isosceles triangle with a circular arc as base, or a quadrilateral symmetrical about the longer diagonal; constructed (usually with a tail of some kind for the purpose of balancing it) to be flown in a strong wind by means of a long string attached. Also, a modification of the toy kite designed to support a man in the air or to form part of an unpowered flying machine (cf. aeroplane n. 1). Kites are also used of special shapes, or with special appliances, for various scientific and other purposes, e.g. the bird-kite, used to frighten partridges (see kite v. 2); cf. also electric kite n. at electric adj. and n. Compounds 1b quot. 1898 here, and Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > other toys > [noun] > kite
kite1664
box kite1896
wagtail kite1922
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > kites > [noun] > designed to lift a man
kite1826
parakite1875
parafoil1967
1664 S. Butler Hudibras: Second Pt. ii. iii. 161 As a Boy, one night, Did fly his Tarsel of a Kite, The strangest long-wing'd Hauk that flies.
1672 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd i. 58 He may make a great Paper-kite of his own Letter of 850 pages.
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 129 Boys flying kites, cut square like a diamond.
1826 Viney & Pocock Brit. Patent 5420 This Patent is obtained for an Invention by which kites are made to act as..sails, for the purpose of navigating or drawing vessels.., for the purpose of raising weights or persons in the air,..or for the hoisting of flags. The peculiarities of these kites are:—..they have four lines by which their power is controlled or their course directed.
1827 D. Johnson Sketches Indian Field Sports (ed. 2) 22 A frame-work of split bamboos, resembling the frame of a paper kite.
1875 A. M. Clark Brit. Patent 169 This Invention relates to a kind of kite or ærial apparatus to be used for military and other purposes, its chief object being to raise to the desired height in the air, and to support in a sufficiently tranquil position for reconnoitring a scout, look out man, or sentry.
1880 Daily News 1 Sept. 5/2 The kite has been fiercely attacked as..a mean advantage to take of the birds [partridges].
1890 H. S. Maxim Brit. Patent 16,883/1889 1 My invention is chiefly designed..to provide for the construction of an aëronautic machine which can, while moving forward in the air, be caused to rise or descend at any desired velocity or to travel at any predetermined height above the ground... I provide an adjustable covered framework or kite of very large dimensions... For convenience of description I will hereinafter term this covered framework or kite an ‘aëroplane’.
1893 23rd Rep. Aeronaut. Soc. 17 What we have to do is to make the wings, whether fixed or flapping, in the requisite form, and add aëroplanes or kites, and find the necessary power to drive them along at their proper angles.
1894 Proc. Internat. Conf. Aerial Navigation, Chicago, 1893 253 Among the different free-flying models which I exhibited..in the large hall of the Engineering Society in Vienna there was a model of my gliding aeroplane or kite, which illustrated the support to be obtained from the air.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 8 Mar. 10/1 Our own War Office have intimated that they are not prepared..to make further trials with kites for military purposes.
b. to fly (or send up) a kite (figurative): to try ‘how the wind blows’, i.e. in what direction affairs are tending. (See also 4) A proposal or suggestion offered or ‘thrown out’ tentatively in order to ‘see how the wind blows’. (Cf. ballon d'essai n.) See also fly v.1 5a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > try experiments or make experiment [verb (intransitive)] > try project or proposal to test attitudes
to fly (or send up) a kite1831
the world > action or operation > endeavour > trial or experiment > [noun] > an experiment > proposal or project to test attitudes
feeler1823
ballon d'essai1858
to fly a kite1902
trial balloon1939
1831 Visct. Palmerston in H. L. Bulwer Life Palmerston (1871) II. 65 Charles John [King of Sweden] flew a kite at us for the Garter the other day, but without success.
1902 Nature 14 Aug. 380/2 A few suggestions have been thrown out by various students which must be regarded more as trial hypotheses than as definite conclusions, indeed they should be looked upon rather as ‘Kites’.
1904 Westm. Gaz. 5 Aug. 2/2 The new Army scheme..is to be debated on Monday, but whether as a Government proposal or the private kite of the Minister for War remains wholly obscure.
1973 A. MacVicar Painted Doll Affair ii. 29 ‘I'm sorry ye're lumbered wi' me,’ he said, sounding anything but sorry. I ignored this blatant kite.
c. An aeroplane. slang, esp. Services' slang.The popular use of kite in this sense probably originated with the ‘box-kite’ aeroplane (see box n.2 Compounds 6); but the uses in quots. 1838, 19091 are direct applications of kite in sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > aeroplane > [noun]
air car1829
aeroplane1868
orange crate1889
aerodrome1891
aerocurve1894
airplane1906
drome1908
plane1908
kite1909
bus1910
1838 J. H. Pennington Aerostation (caption) Steam~kite, or inclined plane, for navigating the air.]
1909 S. F. Cody in Aeronaut. Jrnl. 13 15/2 I had to turn my hobby into manufacturing a kite in order to raise money to build a flying machine, or to put ‘power’ into my kite, consequently the term ‘Power Kite’.
1909 S. F. Cody in Aeronaut. Jrnl. 13 19/1 This is the finished power kite ready to start. The screws are not really propellers. You may call them tractors or propellers, which you like.
1917 in A. J. L. Scott Hist. Sixty Squadron R.A.F. (1920) 100 He told me that he had managed to fly his kite back with great difficulty.
1928 Daily Mail 7 May 6/4 A Kite.—Loosely indicating an unidentified aeroplane.
1934 T. E. Lawrence Let. 19 Mar. (1938) 793 The German kites will be new and formidable.
1942 T. Rattigan Flare Path i. 33 A kite from the Polish squadron.
1952 M. Tripp Faith is Windsock xii. 183 The Squadron hasn't lost a single kite in the last three raids.
1969 Guardian 14 Mar. 10/5 Harry shambles, old boy... In the old Imperial Aircraft days..the engineer would bring the old kite down harry plonkers on the grass.
d. high as a kite: see high adj. 19a.
4.
a. Commercial slang. (With jocular allusion to a paper kite, sense 3) A bill of exchange, or negotiable instrument, not representing any actual transaction, but used for raising money on credit; an accommodation bill. A person thus raising money is said to fly a kite: see to fly a kite at fly v.1 5a.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > promissory notes or bills of exchange > [noun] > accommodation bill
kite1805
wind-bill1813
1805 Sporting Mag. 25 290 Flying a kite in Ireland is a metaphorical phrase for raising money on accommodation bills.
1817 M. Edgeworth Love & Law i. ii, in Comic Dramas 17 Here's bills plinty..but even the kites which I can fly as well as any man, won't raise the wind for me now.
1859 Riddles & Jokes 98 Plunkett..used to say there was this difference between boys' kites and men's kites—that with boys the wind raised the kites, but with men the kites raised the wind.
1894 J. C. Jeaffreson Bk. Recoll. I. v. 84 The wretched piece of paper, with my autograph upon it. But no harm came to me from the little kite.
b. Criminals' slang. A communication (esp. one that is illicit or surreptitious); spec. a letter or verbal message smuggled into, out of, or within a prison.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > correspondence > letter > [noun] > clandestine letter
stiff1853
kite1859
1859 G. W. Matsell Vocabulum 49 Kite, a letter; fancy stocks.
1923 J. F. Fishman Crucibles of Crime ix. 203 Sometimes..prisoners manage to plant notes in various parts of the prison which are to be picked up by the intended recipient. This practice of ‘shooting’ contraband notes is known among the prisoners as ‘flying a kite’.
1925 Flynn's 3 Jan. 665/2 Kite, a message per lip. Kite, a letter or note.
1927 [see sense 4c]. 1953 H. Bryan Inside (1954) xvii. 279 Having settled on the girl, one would send her a ‘kite’, or love letter.
1960 H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 194/2 Fly a kite. 1. To write a letter; esp. to smuggle a letter into or out of prison. Underworld use. 2. To send an airmail letter, often requesting money or assistance. Modern use, mainly underworld but gaining some popularity.
1971 N.Y. Times 21 Oct. 52/2 Kite, a complaint to the police about an illegal operation, often originating with a disgruntled gambler.
c. slang. A cheque (sense 3), esp. a blank cheque or a cheque drawn on insufficient funds or forged from a stolen cheque-book.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > cheque > forged or dishonoured
paper1850
stumer1890
rubber cheque1922
kite1927
rubber kite1961
1927 Dial. Notes 5 446 Fly a kite, v. (1) To pass a bad cheque. (2) To sell worthless stocks and bonds. (3) To write mournful letters, as of prisoners, to sympathetic old women and charitable institutions.
1928 E. Wallace Gunner xxx. 243 He had spent the afternoon searching London for the right ‘kites’. There is quite a brisk trade in blank cheque forms.
1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid iv. 45 Used to say that he'd been done for kites, but everyone reckoned it was for poncing.
1962 R. Cook Crust on its Uppers i. 21 The real morries..flying dodgy kites with each other at bent spielers till the punter..outs his kiting-book too and scribbles a straight one.
1969 T. Parker Twisting Lane 41 He's in for what they call ‘kites’, dud cheques, you know.
5. Nautical.
a. (plural) A name for the highest sails of a ship, which are set only in a light wind. Also flying-kites.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > sail > [noun] > very highest sails
small sail1669
kite1856
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits ii. 33 Our good master keeps his kites up to the last moment, studding-sails alow and aloft.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Flying-kites, the very lofty sails, which are only set in fine weather, such as sky~sails, royal studding-sails, and all above them.
1874 F. G. D. Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. iv. 73 When the glass falls low, Prepare for a blow; When it rises high, Let all your kites fly.
b. On a minesweeper, a device attached to a sweep-wire submerging it to the requisite depth when it is towed over a minefield.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > sweeping wire or rope > device for submerging
kite1915
1915 Chambers's Jrnl. June 386/1 Between the vessels of each pair is the sweep-wire, sunk to the necessary depth in the water by means of towed ‘kites’, wooden arrangements acting on the same principle as the ordinary air-kites.
1923 Man. Seamanship (Admiralty) II. 172 The present form of kite consists of a specially shaped metal plate which has a tendency to dive when towed. This is towed over the stern by a kite wire.
6. Local name of a fish, the Brill.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > order Pleuronectiformes (flat-fish) > [noun] > family Scophthalmidae (turbot) > genus or member of Scophthalmus > scophthalmus rhombus (brill)
breta1475
pearl1475
brill1481
lug-aleaf1686
kite1836
1836 W. Yarrell Hist. Brit. Fishes II. 241 The Kite of the Devonshire and Cornish coasts is the same as the Brill.
1880–4 F. Day Fishes Great Brit. & Ireland II. 16 Upon the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall it is known by the name of ‘Kite’.
7. Name for a variety of the Almond Tumbler pigeon, having black plumage with the inner webs of the quill-feathers passing into red or yellow.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Columbiformes (pigeons, etc.) > domestic pigeon > [noun] > tumbler
tumbler1678
tumbler pigeon1688
almond1735
almond tumbler1765
tippler1847
kite1867
roller1867
1867 W. B. Tegetmeier Pigeons xi. 118 Kites, though seldom regarded as exhibition birds are exceedingly valuable as breeding stock... An Almond and a Kite will often produce an Almond and a Kite in each nest.
8. Geometry. A quadrilateral figure symmetrical about one diagonal (from its resemblance to the form of a toy kite, sense 3); also called deltoid adj. and n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > shape or figure > [noun] > two-dimensional > quadrilateral > kite
deltoid1879
kite1893
1893 I. K. Funk et al. Standard Dict. Eng. Lang. I
Compounds
C1. (In sense 1.)
a.
kite-and-crow adj.
ΚΠ
1887 Academy 7 May 319/1 Kite-and-crow struggles of Swabian and Würtemberger.
kite-colour n.
ΚΠ
1682 London Gaz. No. 1736/4 Stolen or Strayed.., two Mares, one of a Kite-colour.
1702 London Gaz. No. 3814/4 A large Sandy or Kite-colour Grey Gelding.
b.
kite-coloured adj.
ΚΠ
1676 London Gaz. No. 1092/4 A Kite-coloured Roan Nag.
kite-like adj.
ΚΠ
1901 R. Kipling Kim xiv, in McClure's Mag. Sept. 482/2 From the edge of the sheep pasture floated a shrill, kite-like trill.
1909 Daily Graphic 26 July 10/1 When floating on an up-draught they [sc. the planes] will be expanded as a fan expands, and will present a larger kite-like surface.
C2. † kite-key n. (erroneouskit-key) Obsolete a name for the ‘key’ or fruit of the ash-tree. † kite-wolf n. Obsolete rendering of Greek ἰκτῖνος (‘a kite’, also a kind of wolf).
kite bar n. a bar or stripe of an undesirable colour in the plumage of a fancy pigeon.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Columbiformes (pigeons, etc.) > domestic pigeon > [noun] > parts of
purl1765
jewing1868
rose1868
kite bar1876
1876 R. Fulton Illustr. Bk. Pigeons 108 A softer shade of blue, with brown, or what are called by Pouter fanciers ‘kite’ bars.
kite-eagle n. name for Neopus (Ictinætus) malayensis, an East Indian hawk.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [noun] > unspecified and miscellaneous types of
villain1481
Lentiner1575
make-falcon1575
make-hawk1575
bockerel1653
waskite1655
hack hawk1686
bawrel1706
buzzardet1785
nankeen hawk1827
buteo1848
rook hawk1855
kite-eagle1883
star buzzard1884
1883 Cassell's Nat. Hist. III. 283 The Kite Eagle is about thirty inches in length.
kite-falcon n. a hawk of the genus Baza, having a crested head and two teeth in the beak.
kite-fish n. a species of gurnard.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > order Scorpaeniformes (scorpion-fish) > [noun] > family Triglidae (gurnards) > member of family Triglidae (gurnard)
gurnard1314
mop1466
kite-fish1684
trigla1752
pigfish1807
captain1811
sea-robin1814
mailed or armed gurnard1836
robin1853
sclerogenoid1861
grumbler1867
triglid1888
trigloid1888
1684 A. Littleton Linguæ Latinæ Liber Dictionarius (new ed.) The Kite-fish, Milvus piscis.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > tree or shrub groups > ash and allies > [noun] > seed pod
ash-key1440
chat1562
kite-key1578
cat-keys1694
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball vi. lxx 748 The huskes or fruite thereof [the Ash] are called in shoppes Lingua anis, and Lingua passerina: in English, Kytekayes.
1616 J. Bullokar Eng. Expositor Kitkaies, the fruite of the ashen tree.
1628 T. Venner Via Recta (new ed.) vii. 97 Ash-keies, commonly called Kite-keies of the Ash.
kite-tailed adj. having a long tail like that of a kite, as the kite-tailed widgeon, a species of duck ( Dafila acuta) found in Florida.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Falconiformes (falcons, etc.) > family Accipitridae (hawks, etc.) > [noun] > kites > genus Milvus (kite)
gledec725
kitec725
pittelOE
puttockc1175
milan1484
pipe gledea1525
kite-wolf1607
pew-glede1615
red kite1792
royal kite1792
milvine1885
fork-tail1893
shite-hawk1944
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 736 One of them hath a backe of a siluer colour,..and this is Ictinus canus, a gray Kite-wolfe.
C3. (In sense 3.)
a.
kite expert n.
ΚΠ
1898 Westm. Gaz. 8 Mar. 10/1 Kite experts, who..are building up an art..destined to be of the greatest utility to science and warfare.
kite-line n.
ΚΠ
1828 Kaleidoscope 12 Aug. 48/2 There is no obstacle to interfere with the kite-lines.
1876 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Tom Sawyer xxxi. 244 He took a kite-line from his pocket.
kite-maker n.
ΚΠ
1926 M. Leinster Dew on Leaf v. 211 The kite-makers were busy making fantastic objects in bamboo and paper.
kite-string n.
ΚΠ
1841 H. D. Thoreau Jrnl. 6 Aug. (1981) I. 315 Like pasteboards on a kite string.
1971 N.Z. Listener 22 Mar. 13/1 Get seen around with a good woman on your kite-string and no-one bothers you regardless.
b.
kite-faced adj.
ΚΠ
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 514 Alone on deck,..yellow kitefaced, his hand in his waistcoat, opening, declaims.
kite-like adj.
kite-shaped adj.
ΚΠ
1828 P. F. Tytler Hist. Scotl. (1864) I. 321 The kite-shaped shield of the Normans.
C4.
kite-balloon n. a balloon with a long string or wire attached, used for scientific or other purposes.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > air or space travel > a means of conveyance through the air > balloons and airships > [noun] > balloon > types of balloon > attached to a wire
sausage balloon1874
kite-balloon1898
blimp1916
1898 Westm. Gaz. 8 Mar. 10/1 The German military authorities are experimenting with kite-balloons.
kite-boat n. a boat propelled by the pulling force of a kite.
ΚΠ
1903 Daily Chron. 9 Nov. 4/5 The kite-boat seems to add unnecessarily to the horrors of the Channel passage.
1903 Amer. Inventor 15 Dec. 276 S. F. Cody..crossed the English Channel..in a ‘kite-boat’, described as a miniature submarine boat weighing four tons, and propelled by a modified box-kite.
Kitemark n. (also Kite mark) a quality mark, similar in shape to a kite, granted for use on goods approved by the British Standards Institution; also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > marking > mark of quality > [noun]
stamp1542
hallmark1852
star1870
Kitemark1952
woolmark1964
rosette1966
CE1988
1952 B.S.I. Monthly Information Sheet Oct. 16 (heading) The ‘Kite’ mark on consumer goods.
1952 B.S.I. Monthly Information Sheet Oct. 16 In March, 1952, when the Utility schemes for textiles and clothing were brought to an end, most of the industries concerned undertook to co-operate with the B.S.I. in preparing voluntary standards..to ensure that at least the same levels of quality could be maintained. It was also agreed that wherever possible the B.S.I. ‘Kite’ mark would replace the former Utility mark as a guarantee to consumers that the goods bearing the mark were, in fact, ‘up to standard’.
1956 Observer 12 Feb. 6/4 It is hoped that eventually the B.S. Kite-Mark will certify the quality of many..consumer goods.
1957 Times 23 Sept. 11/4 The first fireguards bearing the kite mark of the British Standards Institution will be in the shops this autumn.
1957 Economist 12 Oct. 157/1 ‘Shoppers' Guide’ discusses articles against the measure of the BSI Kite-mark, which is a guarantee only of minimum satisfactory performance.
1958 B.S.I. News Nov. 17/1 We hear from Kirk and Company (Tubes) Ltd., that they have recently been granted a licence to Kite-mark their malleable cast iron and cast copper alloy pipe fittings under B.S. 1256.
1971 Brit. Standards Yearbk. p. xvi The British Standards Mark (known as the Kitemark) is a registered certification trade mark owned by BSI. Manufacturers may apply to BSI to use the mark on their products when their quality control arrangements are considered satisfactory and they have agreed to comply with a Scheme of Supervision and Control involving..inspection, sampling and testing.
1971 Daily Tel. 24 Nov. 11/5 The annual Civic Trust Awards,..emphasising architectural and design excellence in a total lived-in environment, have become sought-after kitemarks for planners..and architects.
1972 Daily Tel. 12 June 2/6 It will be illegal for shops to sell crash helmets which do not have the BSI's ‘kitemark’ seal of approval.
1972 Which? June 192 So far, no cabinets with mirrors have been given the Kitemark... If we hear of any Kitemarked cabinets, we will mention them.
kite-mark v. (transitive) to use the Kite mark on.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > marking > mark of quality > put quality mark on [verb (transitive)]
seal1467
kite-mark1960
rosette1974
1960 B.S.I. News Apr. 5/2 (heading) Kitemarking should be extended.
kite-marked adj. bearing the Kite mark.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > marking > mark of quality > [adjective]
kite-marked1958
rosetted1972
1958 B.S.I. News Nov. 3 Buyers, particularly large-scale purchasers, can do much to safeguard their workpeople from injury by insisting, wherever possible, that the safety equipment which they buy should be Kite-marked.
1966 New Scientist 12 May 338/3 The findings will be used by the British Standards Institution when it publishes the ‘rules’ for ‘kite-marked’ toothpastes later this year.
kite-photograph n. a photograph taken by means of a camera attached to a kite or kite-balloon.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > a photograph > [noun] > by method of photographing
melainotype1856
pistolgram1860
shot1867
snapshot1890
snap1894
telephotograph1894
Kodak1895
kite-photograph1897
close-up1913
vortograph1917
trick shot1924
Photomaton1927
rayograph1933
filter shot1937
flash1945
streak photograph1950
satellite picture1954
telephoto1960
digital photograph1962
xograph1974
digital photo1986
1897 Daily News 4 Nov. 6/4 A view of the City Hall, New York, with a portion of Lower Broadway and adjacent streets..what is called ‘a kite photograph’.
kite plug n. name for an obstetric dressing made with pledgets of lint or gauze affixed at intervals to a string or tape, like the pieces of paper in the tail of a kite.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > equipment for treating wound or ulcer > [noun] > obstetric dressing
kite-tail1869
kite plug1896
1896 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. I. 439 For supporting the uterus and packing round the cervix several of these rolls are attached to the one string, forming the ‘kite-tail’ plug.
kite-tail n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > equipment for treating wound or ulcer > [noun] > obstetric dressing
kite-tail1869
kite plug1896
1869 L. M. Alcott Little Women II. x. 150 The others are torn up to..bandage cut fingers, or make kitetails.
kite-track n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1893 Outing 22 97/2 A kite track [for racing] consists of two stretches of one-third of a mile each, with a connecting curve of one-third of a mile.
C5. (In sense 4.)
kite-man n. a person who obtains money against bills of exchange or cheques that will not be honoured; spec. (see quot. 1967).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [noun] > use of bills of exchange > one dealing in bills of exchange > fraudulently
kite-flyer1844
kite-man1928
1928 E. Wallace Double v. 64 This was a favourite rendezvous of the swell mob, the ‘kite’ men, the confidence artists.
1967 J. Phelan Nine Murderers & Me 162 Kite-man, one who passes forged cheques.
Draft additions July 2011
kitehawk n. a bird of prey of the family Accipitridae and subfamilies Milvinae or Elaninae; (in later use) esp. (Australian) the black kite, Milvus migrans.
ΚΠ
?a1775 W. Bartram Trav. Georgia & Florida in Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. (1943) 33 165/2 There are besides these two beautifull species of Kite Hawks. The first is [t]he forked tailed hawk.
1849 Eliza Cook's Jrnl. 1 Dec. 73/1 A large kite-hawk, or ‘gled’, poising himself on his long wings, and rising in circles to look out for some rabbit or other, appeared seemingly from this very place.
1895 Museum 15 July 246/1 This species [sc. the Everglade kite] is, unlike most other Kite Hawks, very sociable in its habits.
1963 V. B. Cranley 27,000 Miles through Austral. 18 The kitehawks hovered in the heat over the well-pumps, waiting for some stray lamb.
2003 Courier Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 5 Apr. m6 Explorers who barely escape the desert alive, then mourn for its blue skies and wheeling kitehawks.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
kitev.
/kʌɪt/, U.S. /kaɪt/ 1.
a. intransitive. To fly, soar, or move through the air, with a gliding motion like that of a kite; also, figurative of a person. To move quickly, to rush; to rise quickly. Const. around, off, up, etc. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > motion in the air > move in the air [verb (intransitive)] > smoothly
glideOE
scum1513
skim1591
kite1854
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move swiftly in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > move with urgent speed
rempeOE
fuseOE
rakeOE
hiec1175
i-fusec1275
rekec1275
hastec1300
pellc1300
platc1300
startc1300
buskc1330
rapc1330
rapec1330
skip1338
firk1340
chase1377
raikc1390
to hie one's waya1400
catchc1400
start?a1505
spur1513
hasten1534
to make speed1548
post1553
hurry1602
scud1602
curry1608
to put on?1611
properate1623
post-haste1628
whirryc1630
dust1650
kite1854
to get a move on1888
to hump it1888
belt1890
to get (or put) one's skates on1895
hotfoot1896
to rattle one's dags1968
shimmy1969
1854 ‘O. Optic’ In Doors & Out (1876) 92 You did not use to be fond of ‘kiting’ round in this manner.
1863 J. S. Le Fanu House by Church-yard II. 66 He has been ‘kiting’ all over the town.
1864 L. N. Boudrye Jrnl. 21 Aug. in Hist. Rec. Fifth N.Y. Cavalry (1865) 165 A well directed shell..sent them ‘kiting’ to the woods again.
1870 W. W. Fowler Ten Years in Wall St. 504 Would seem to be enough to start a panic, or send the market ‘kiting’ up among the tall figures.
1894 J. J. Astor Journey in Other Worlds ii. iii. 145 Whenever a large mass seemed dangerously near the glass, they..sent it kiting among its fellows.
1901 G. W. Peck Peck's Uncle Ike I. 23 Prices of the goods go up kiting.
1908 R. W. Chambers Firing Line xix If you go kiting off to town.
1908 R. Kipling Lett. to Family viii. 72 We have seen a financial panic..send whole army corps of aliens kiting back to the lands whose allegiance they forswore.
1931 P. G. Wodehouse Big Money viii. 181 The stock kited sixty points the first day.
1935 ‘C. S. Forester’ Afr. Queen vi. 116 Bet they were surprised to see the old African Queen come kiting past.
1965 J. Potts Only Good Secretary i. 13 Yes, and her too, kiting off to Long Island when she ought to be here.
b. transitive. To cause to fly high like a paper kite.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > motion in the air > move through the air [verb (transitive)] > soar in or into > cause to soar
soar1661
kite1865
1865 E. Burritt Walk to Land's End 379 We pulled in our kited fancies soaring so high.
1868 H. Bushnell Serm. Living Subj. 62 We are going..to be kited or aerially floated no more.
2. To terrify grouse or partridges by flying a paper kite, shaped like a hawk, over their haunts, so as to make them lie close till the guns come near.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fowling > hunt birds [verb (transitive)] > terrify with paper kite
kite1880
1880 Daily News 1 Sept. 5/2 The practices known as driving and kiting.
3. Commercial slang.
Categories »
a. intransitive. To ‘fly a kite’: see kite n. 4.
b. transitive. To convert into a ‘kite’ or accommodation bill. Now usually, to write or cash a dud or temporarily unbacked cheque.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > circulation of money > put into circulation [verb (transitive)] > pass forged or unbacked cheques
kite1839
1839 C. F. Briggs Adventures Harry Franco II. iv. 35 He stuffed half a dozen blank checks into his hat, and said he must go out and kite it to save his credit.
1864 Webster's Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. Kite, v.i. (Literally, to fly a kite.) To raise money, or sustain one's credit, by the use of mercantile paper which is fictitious.
1866 Congress. Globe 29 June 3482/1 Every kiting charter like this one—I speak of the National Telegraph Company.
1901 Dundee Advertiser 10 Jan. 6/2 It seemed..as if every one in London who had a six~pence to purchase a stamp had ‘kited’ paper with my signature forged to it.
1934 H. N. Rose Thes. Slang iii. a. 21/1 Issue a check which hasn't sufficient backing: to kite.
1950 H. E. Goldin Dict. Amer. Underworld Lingo 118/1 Kite, v. 1. To issue or pass, as a forged check or bond; (more accurately) to issue or pass a check against insufficient funds... Kite checks (New England States). 1. To issue forged checks. 2. To write checks, usually post-dated, against insufficient funds. 3. To raise illegally the face value of otherwise good checks.
1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 438 Her ideas about..those investors with some credit rating whom an exurban bank, proud of its personal touch, might allow to kite a cheque for twenty-four hours..intrigued the banker.
1962 R. Cook Crust on its Uppers x. 90 We'll kite 'em at the airport!
1963 J. N. Harris Weird World Wes Beattie (1964) xv. 184 He was up to his ears in debt—always kiting checks before payday.
c. To send a communication; spec. to smuggle a letter into, out of, or within a prison. (Cf. kite n. 4b.)
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > message > send a message or messenger [verb (transitive)] > send a message to
besend1297
kite1925
society > communication > correspondence > sending items > send items [verb (transitive)] > clandestinely
kite1925
1925 Flynn's 3 Jan. 665/2 Kite, to send a signal; to send a message.
1936 Detective Fiction Weekly 4 Jan. 116 A letter which I had ‘kited’ out of the prison.
1945 L. Shelly Hepcats Jive Talk Dict. 13/2 Kite, to air mail or exchange.
Derivatives
ˈkiting n. the raising of money on credit; the passing of forged or unbacked cheques. Cf. kite-flying n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > circulation of money > [noun] > passing of money > passing of counterfeits > passing of forged or unbacked cheques
kite-flying1834
kiting1872
paperhanging1927
1872 Congress. Globe 3 Apr. 2128/2 They may hold the bonds, as has often been done in kiting corporations, and then take the property they have thus swindled the public out of.
1942 L. V. Berrey & M. Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §556/1 Kiting, kite flying, extending credit or sustaining a balance in the bank by means of ‘kites’.
1960 F. Gibney Operators vi. 158 Check kiting..is a different and more complex process than forging... Few up-and-coming businessmen..can claim to have resisted the temptation to write a pressing check just a day or two before some money is due, in the prayerful expectation that their deposit will get into the bank's ledgers before the check they have cashed comes home to roost.
1969 ‘E. Lathen’ Murder to Go (1970) xvii. 173 If it had been a question of..kiting a cheque—well, that wouldn't surprise you at all. Clyde cut corners all his life.
1970 ‘R. Lewis’ Wolf by Ears iii. 137 The technical terms..are ‘kiting’ and ‘lapping’. Money is transferred between two accounts, recording the receipt prior to the balancing date and the payment after the balancing date. That's ‘kiting’.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.c725
v.1839