Kite


[kahyt] /kaɪt/

noun
1.
a light frame covered with some thin material, to be flown in the wind at the end of a long string.
2.
any of several small birds of the hawk family Accipitridae that have long, pointed wings, feed on insects, carrion, reptiles, rodents, and birds, and are noted for their graceful, gliding flight.
Compare , , .
3.
Nautical. .
4.
Finance.

5.
a person who preys on others; sharper.
verb (used without object), kited, kiting.
6.
Informal. to fly or move with a rapid or easy motion like that of a kite.
7.
to obtain money or credit through kites.
verb (used with object), kited, kiting.
8.
to employ (a check or the like) as a kite; to cash or pass (a kite, forged check, etc.).
[kahyt] /kaɪt/
noun, Scot. and North England.
1.
.
[kahyt] /kaɪt/
noun, Scot. and North England.
1.
the paunch; stomach; belly.
/kaɪt/
noun
1.
a light frame covered with a thin material flown in the wind at the end of a length of string
2.
(Brit, slang) an aeroplane
3.
(pl) (nautical) any of various light sails set in addition to the working sails of a vessel
4.
any diurnal bird of prey of the genera Milvus, Elanus, etc, typically having a long forked tail and long broad wings and usually preying on small mammals and insects: family Accipitridae (hawks, etc)
5.
(archaic) a person who preys on others
6.
(commerce) a negotiable paper drawn without any actual transaction or assets and designed to obtain money on credit, give an impression of affluence, etc
7.
fly a kite, See fly1 (sense 14)
8.
high as a kite, See high (sense 30)
verb
9.
to issue (fictitious papers) to obtain credit or money
10.
(transitive) (US & Canadian) to write (a cheque) in anticipation of sufficient funds to cover it
11.
(intransitive) to soar and glide
/kəɪt/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of kyte
/kəɪt/
noun
1.
(Scot) the belly
n.

bird of prey (Milvus ictinus), Old English cyta “kind of hawk,” probably imitative of its cries (cf. ciegan “to call,” German Kauz “screech owl”). The toy kite first so-called 1660s, from its way of hovering in the air like a bird. The dismissive invitation to go fly a kite is attested by 1942, American English, probably tracing to the popular song of the same name (lyrics by Johnny Burke), sung by Bing Crosby in “The Star Maker” (1939):

Go fly a kite and tie your troubles to the tail
They’ll be blown away by a merry gale,
Go fly a kite and toss your worries to the wind
And they won’t come back, they’ll be too chagrined.

v.

“write a fictitious check,” 1839, American English, from 1805 phrase fly a kite “raise money by issuing commercial paper on nonexistent funds;” see kite (n.). Related: Kited; kiting.

noun

verb

To write a check when one does not have the funds to cover it, hoping to find them before the check is cashed: The bill was due before payday, so I had to kite the check (1934+)

Related Terms

fly a kite, go fly a kite, high as a kite

[fly a kite in the verb sense is found by 1808]

an unclean and keen-sighted bird of prey (Lev. 11:14; Deut. 14:13). The Hebrew word used, _’ayet_, is rendered “vulture” in Job 28:7 in Authorized Version, “falcon” in Revised Version. It is probably the red kite (Milvus regalis), a bird of piercing sight and of soaring habits found all over Palestine.

see:

Read Also:

  • Kiteboarding

    noun the sport of riding a modified surfboard that is attached to a large kite; also called kitesurfing See kitesurfing Word Origin 1996 Usage Note kiteboard, n; kiteboarder, n; kiteboard, v

  • Kited

    [kahyt] /kaɪt/ noun 1. a light frame covered with some thin material, to be flown in the wind at the end of a long string. 2. any of several small birds of the hawk family Accipitridae that have long, pointed wings, feed on insects, carrion, reptiles, rodents, and birds, and are noted for their graceful, […]

  • Kite fighting

    noun 1. (in Malaysia) a game in which one player attempts to cut the string of his opponent’s kite with the string of his own See also glass string

  • Kiteflying

    [kahyt-flahy-ing] /ˈkaɪtˌflaɪ ɪŋ/ noun 1. an act or instance of a . 2. the sport or hobby of , .

  • Kitemark

    noun 1. (Brit) the official mark of quality and reliability, in the form of a kite, on articles approved by the British Standards Institution


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