kid-glove

See also: kid glove

English

Etymology

See kid glove.

Adjective

kid-glove (not comparable)

1. Marked by extreme care or sensitivity.

   kid-glove handling

   • 1929 June 24, Charles G. Dawes, quotee, “National Affairs”, in Time, volume 13, number 25, page 11:

     “Hell’s bells, no!” said the discreetly indiscreet Ambassador. “I’m a diplomat now. I've got to don kid glove manners.”

   • 1995 August, Celia Farber, “AIDS: Words from the Front”, in Spin, →ISSN, page 89:

     Specifically, Lang and others complain that while the journal has printed many negative articles about HIV skeptics, the orthodoxy has received kid-glove treatment.

Verb

kid-glove (third-person singular simple present kid-gloves, present participle kid-gloving, simple past and past participle kid-gloved)

1. (transitive) To treat mildly.
   • 1943, Hon. Clare E. Hoffman, “Better Late Than Never”, in Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 78th Congress, volume 89, United States Government Printing Office, page A3226:

     It is the policy of the politician to avoid trouble, to soft pedal on principle so that votes will not be lost. But, as day follows night, kid-gloving criminals leads to anarchy.

   • 2001, Jamie O'Neill, At Swim, Two Boys, Scribner, →ISBN, page 491:

     ‘They're all pro-German. We should shoot the leaders, pack the rest off to France. In my opinion, there is too much kid-gloving in this country.’

Synonyms

• wrist-slap