Kiss up kick down

Kiss up kick down (or kiss up, kick down) is a neologism used to describe the situation where middle level employees in an organization are polite and flattering to superiors but abusive to subordinates. It is believed to have originated in the US, with the first documented use having occurred in 1993.

Examples of use

Robert McNamara

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists described Robert McNamara, an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, as a classic case of the kiss up, kick down personality in August 1993.

John R. Bolton

On day 2 of the Senate confirmation hearings, April 12, 2005, for John R. Bolton, a Bush nomination for the US representative to the UN, the Senate panel focused on allegations that Bolton pressured intelligence analysts. Former State Department intelligence chief Carl W. Ford Jr. characterized Bolton as a "kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy", implying that he was always ready to please whoever had authority over him, while having very little regard for people working under him.

Kissing, Bavaria

Kissing is a municipality in the Aichach-Friedberg district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located just 10 km south of Augsburg and has about 11,200 inhabitants (2007).

Kissing was first mentioned in a document in 1050 AD as Chissingin, it was a minor regional centre of rule and jurisdiction called a Hofmark (German article). In even earlier times, around 500, there was a thing hill nearby, which was later swept away by the floods of the river Lech.

The surname Kissinger (as in Henry Kissinger) means inhabitant of Kissing or Kissingen.

See also

References