Money or benefits given secretly or illegally to someone in exchange for helping with a deal, or a sudden backward reaction or recoil.
From 'kick' (Old Norse origin, meaning to strike) plus 'back'. The sense of illegal payment emerged in early 20th century American slang, extending the idea of something 'coming back' as a reward.
The word has two completely opposite meanings—a physical recoil and corruption—but both involve something 'coming back' to you in unexpected ways!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.