“Wake up, kick ass, repeat.” I read it this morning as I was drinking my morning coffee. I’m a traditional Japanese girl for the most part, but as an “international“ married woman, I love getting English stuff on the Internet. My name is Mana, and I will be posting here on Taboo English regularly. <polite bow>
I think this meme is perfect for any Japanese woman who has ability, energy, motivation, especially after that first cup of coffee in the morning.
Kick Ass: What does it mean?
The word ass used to be a little taboo in English, but these days, almost no one is offended by its use, so it’s commonly read and heard in all media and used by average American women all the time. Especially when it’s combined with another word, like KICK ASS. it means GAMBARIMASU. Do your best today, all day, in everything you do…
Kick ass examples
An alternative of “kick ass” is “kicking ass” which English native speakers use to describe doing a really super job at something. For example,
“I’ve been kicking ass at this new job! I’m sure they’ll pay me more money!”
or
“You’ve been kicking ass on your new Instagram page! Good job!”
“Kick Ass” vs “Kick your ass”
This use of “Kick ass” shouldn’t be confused with “kick someone’s ass,” which native speakers use as a colorful way to describe punishment.
“If I’m late one more time, the boss is going to kick my ass.”
“If my husband spends this money, I’ll have to kick his ass.”
Or describe losing a fight:
“It was fun to watch the Dragons kick the Giants’ ass.”
I remember when I was young and I heard “kick ass” on some TV episode, maybe it was Friends. When I heard it I thought, wait — it was a bad word. It certainly wasn’t on my TOEIC vocabulary list, lol. But I remembered it. The next time, I saw it on Instagram. I guess a lot of us Japanese see “bad words” like that, and wonder “how bad is it?” Don’t you think so?
Anyway, please tell me if you’ve ever heard the phrase “Wake up, kick ass, repeat” before, or leave a comment about what you think. And please be sure to follow me on instagram, where I’m always posting about my passions: coffee, yoga, and English.
