Tracing the Origins of ‘Kicking the Can Down the Road’: A Journey Through Time and Language

Ever wondered why we describe procrastination as “kicking the can down the road”? Grab a seat, friend, because we’re about to embark on a fascinating journey through the winding path of this colorful American idiom. From casual street activities to the halls of political power, this simple phrase has traveled quite a distance to become one of our favorite ways to call someone out for avoiding tough decisions.

The Metaphorical Stroll

When you hear someone accuse a politician or business leader of “kicking the can down the road,” they’re not talking about literal roadside litter management. This colloquial American-English expression captures the essence of delay tactics and decision-making avoidance in one tidy package.

At its core, the phrase means to postpone dealing with a difficult problem, often in the hope that it will:

• Magically resolve itself
• Become someone else’s responsibility
• Seem less daunting later on

The beauty of this metaphor lies in its visual simplicity. Imagine someone idly walking along, repeatedly kicking a discarded can forward rather than picking it up or dealing with it properly. There’s no destination, no purpose—just the continuous deferral of what eventually must be addressed.

In British English, you might hear the equivalent phrase “kicking something into the long grass“—same avoidance, different landscape.

A Phrase Takes Shape

Contrary to what you might think, this idiom didn’t spring fully formed into our lexicon. Its journey begins not with the Depression-era children’s game, but with the mundane act of kicking discarded items while walking.

The linguistic ancestors of our modern phrase date back to the 1830s, when “kick around” meant to wander aimlessly. But the metaphorical sense we know today emerged in the United States during the mid-20th century, with its political usage solidifying during the Reagan era of the 1980s.

Early documented examples include:

• A 1969 mention in the Waterloo Daily Courier, evoking joblessness
• A pivotal 1983 quote in a UPI report about delaying attention to nuclear deterrent issues
• William Safire’s 1988 endorsement in The New York Times as a “superb metaphor”

That last one really gave our idiom a promotional boost! When a renowned language columnist gives your phrase a thumbs-up, you know you’ve made it in the metaphorical world.

Not Just Child’s Play

Here’s where things get interesting. Many assume the idiom derives from the children’s game “Kick the Can”—that Depression-era yard game that combined elements of hide-and-seek and tag. But linguistic detectives have determined this connection is likely coincidental.

The children’s game worked like this:

• One player is “it” and guards a can placed in an open space
• Other players hide while “it” counts
• “It” tries to find and tag players
• If a player manages to kick the can without being caught, all captured players are freed

See the disconnect? In the game, kicking the can is a decisive, game-changing action—the opposite of procrastination or postponement. So while the game might have influenced how readily the public accepted the phrase, the metaphorical meaning comes from the aimless street activity, not the structured game.

This distinction helps explain why the idiom so perfectly captures the essence of stalling for time rather than taking meaningful action. It’s not about playing games—it’s about avoiding the game entirely!

Political Procrastination

While you might use this phrase in personal contexts (“I’ve been kicking the can down the road on fixing that leaky faucet”), it truly found its home in political discourse. Since the 1980s, it has become the go-to criticism for political inaction on pressing issues.

The phrase perfectly captures how governments handle thorny problems like:

• Budget deficits and the debt ceiling
• Social security reform
• Climate change policy
• Healthcare system overhauls

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel memorably declared, “We can’t kick the can down the road because we’ve run out of road”—a powerful evolution of the metaphor suggesting that sometimes, delaying the inevitable simply isn’t an option anymore.

Media outlets from The Denver Post to The Washington Post regularly deploy the phrase when describing how officials implement quick fixes rather than comprehensive solutions. It’s become the perfect shorthand for “short-term gain, long-term pain” approaches to governance.

Conclusion: The Road Ahead

So there you have it—a simple image of idly kicking a can while walking has evolved into one of our most pointed criticisms of strategic delay and lack of accountability. The next time you hear this phrase in a news broadcast or read it in an article about government policy, you’ll know it carries nearly a century of accumulated frustration with those who defer difficult decisions.

And perhaps, just perhaps, understanding the rich history of this idiom might inspire us all to face our challenges head-on rather than, well… you know.

Until our next linguistic adventure!

Sources

• Merriam-Webster – Detailed article explaining the meaning, history, and metaphorical interpretations of the idiom.
• Word Histories – Etymological analysis tracing potential origins and early print examples.
• The Idioms – Dictionary entry defining the phrase and its common usages.
• Grammarphobia – Blog post analyzing the idiomatic sense and its distinction from the children’s game.
• A Word or 2 – Examples from political contexts and media usage.