Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
kid-glove en · ADJ
Etymology
See kid glove.
Meanings
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(not-comparable) Marked by extreme care or sensitivity.
Specifically, Lang and others complain that while the journal has printed many negative articles about HIV skeptics, the orthodoxy has received kid-glove treatment.
1995 August, Celia Farber, “AIDS: Words from the Front”, in Spin, →ISSN, page 89:“Hell’s bells, no!” said the discreetly indiscreet Ambassador. “I’m a diplomat now. I've got to don kid glove manners.”
1929 June 24, Charles G. Dawes, quotee, “National Affairs”, in Time, volume 13, number 25, page 11:kid-glove handling
kid-glove en · VERB
Etymology
See kid glove.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, informal, transitive) To treat mildly.
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.
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:‘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.’
2001, Jamie O'Neill, At Swim, Two Boys, Scribner, →ISBN, page 491:
Forms
Synonyms
wrist-slap