it has a british kick, what does this mean?

[Spetsnaz26]

Hi! I was watching Proof of Life lately and I found the following dialogue which I have difficulty understanding:

A man says to Russel Crowe:G36, German rifle but it has a British kick.

Now I understand he's talking about the recoil of the rifle but what does that have to do with "British"? Is this a joke about British being...strong or weak maybe? No offence, just learning the language.

Thank you in advance!

 

[BobK]

I don't think it's anything to do with strength or weakness. I'm not an aficionado of these things, but it seems to me possible that the British rifle buyer prefers to feel recoil (rather like British drivers often showing a preference for a manual gear-shift - on the assumption that if it's too easy it must be bad). So maybe German-made rifles typically use recoil-cancelling technology, but this one is made to feel more basic. (So conceivably British gun-buyers do think in terms of strength/weakness: 'It's more macho to use a gun that's harder to control'. But maybe this is taking speculation too far. ;-))

b

 

[Spetsnaz26]

I don't think it's anything to do with strength or weakness. I'm not an aficionado of these things, but it seems to me possible that the British rifle buyer prefers to feel recoil (rather like British drivers often showing a preference for a manual gear-shift - on the assumption that if it's too easy it must be bad). So maybe German-made rifles typically use recoil-cancelling technology, but this one is made to feel more basic. (So conceivably British gun-buyers do think in terms of strength/weakness: 'It's more macho to use a gun that's harder to control'. But maybe this is taking speculation too far. ;-))

b

Thanks for the information you provided but I don't really think he's refering to the recoil of G36 being more "untampered". Almost all modern-day infantry combat rifle designs, G36 ,as well as British SA80 assault rifle incorporate to some extent, recoil-absorbtion technology.The guy seems to be recommending this rifle to Crowe but he kinda waved him off. They later opted for American M4-esque rifles in their mission.

I watched it again and found I've made a mistake,it's more like "G36,(pause) but it IS a British kick." now

I wonder if even a native speaker can't understand what a guy's talking about in a movie, what's the script writer thinking?? I posted the same question on IMDB.com as well but haven't received any reply yet,guess nobody noticed.

 

[Anglika]

That would imply that there is something about the weapon or the situation that is exciting for the British.

Similar usage to Cole Porter's song "I get a kick out of you":

I get no kick from champagne.
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you

 

[Spetsnaz26]

That would imply that there is something about the weapon or the situation that is exciting for the British.

Similar usage to Cole Porter's song "I get a kick out of you":

I get no kick from champagne.
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you

Thanks,this makes sense. Crowe starred as a former Australian SASR soldier, so that man of his must be recommending G36 rifle on the basis that it, for some reason, is the right choice for a British(or member contry of the commonwealth perhaps).

Though you might not be able to tell me why the weapon's right for Crowe I'm very thankful for your help.

 

[BobK]

There's another meaning of 'kick', rather more basic than Cole Porter's, used in the song Route 66 - 'if you get hip to this kind of kick'. The Urban Dictionary will tell you more than you want to know about possible meanings of 'kick'.

But maybe it's not 'kick'. Maybe it's 'gig' (meaning, here, a one-off job). Try listening again.

b