kick at an open door

verb

To carry out a redundant activity.

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Meanings

verbkick at an open door (third-person singular simple present kicks at an open door, present participle kicking at an open door, simple past and past participle kicked at an open door)

present singular third person kicks at an open door · participle present kicking at an open door · participle past kicked at an open door · past kicked at an open door

  1. idiomaticTo carry out a redundant activity.

    Instead of making hard choices and hard decisions, the EU prefers to kick at an open door. By opting for easy policies, everyone agrees — simply because there is nothing to disagree with.

    2010, Derk Jan Eppink, Bonfire of bureaucracy in Europe
Cite this entry
APA

kick at an open door. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20at%20an%20open%20door

MLA

“kick at an open door.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20at%20an%20open%20door. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kick at an open door,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kick%20at%20an%20open%20door.

Source: kick at an open door on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.