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kick a habit

kick a habit idiom

Also, kick it; kick the habit. Overcome or give up habitual use, especially of narcotics. For example, Smoking is addictive; it's not easy to kick, or If he doesn't kick the habit, he may not make it through school. This idiom uses kick in the sense of “get rid of.” [First half of 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.