A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge
What's the origin of "side kick"?
April 19, 1976
Dear Cecil:
Where did the phrase "side kick" originate?
Dear M.:
Around the turn of the century, "side kick" was pickpocket slang for the front pocket in a coat or a pair of pants. Some unknown poet of the underworld must have made the connection between the front pocket--the hardest to pick--and an inseparable companion. By 1920 "side kick" meant "friend," and around 1940 it took on its present meaning, "Gabby Hayes."
