Killed by Kindness
Preserved but no longer current.
It is said that Draco, the Athenian legislator, met with his death from his popularity, being smothered in the theatre of ^Egina by the number of caps and cloaks showered on him by the spectators (590 B.C.). Thomas Heywood wrote a play called A Woman Kitted with Kindness (1603).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Killed by Kindness” mean?
It is said that Draco, the Athenian legislator, met with his death from his popularity, being smothered in the theatre of ^Egina by the number of caps and cloaks showered on him by the spectators (590 B.C.). Thomas Heywood wrote a play called A Woman Kitted with Kindness (1603).
Is “Killed by Kindness” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.