kick over the traces
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To be over-extravagant. Any one who has come to grief by fast living is said to have KICKED OVER THE TRACES.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era. Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “kick over the traces” mean?
To be over-extravagant. Any one who has come to grief by fast living is said to have KICKED OVER THE TRACES.
Is “kick over the traces” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.