kick the can down the road
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kick the can down the road
Where it comes from
Attested as an activity of idle urban youths since the late 19th century. The modern sense of procrastinate dates from the 1980s.
verb kicks the can down the road · kicking the can down the road · kicked the can down the road
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To avoid or postpone a decision or action; to procrastinate.
Ronald Lehman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategic and theater nuclear bombs, said the United States was satisfied with its land-based deterrent for many years and "there was a tendency to kick the can down the road and not pay enough attention to its problems.
Similar: adjourn, avert, defer, delay, dilly-dally, draw out, extend, forslow, forestall, forestay, kick into the long grass, kick the can down the road
Translations
Every language
verb Translations
| Español | huir hacia delante |
|---|---|
| Português | enrolar |
| Français | pelleter par en avant |
Talk about this word "kick the can down the road." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kick%20the%20can%20down%20the%20road. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. kick the can down the road. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kick%20the%20can%20down%20the%20road "kick the can down the road." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kick%20the%20can%20down%20the%20road.Cite this
@misc{kick_the_can_down_the_road_2026,
title = {kick the can down the road},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kick%20the%20can%20down%20the%20road},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
