Kickback by Foxymoron

The expression "kickback" arose from the automotive industry as a reaction from an engine, and is also the build up of pressure in a wellhead. With the growth of the Mafia in the early twentieth century it became used for an illegal bribe or an undisclosed rake-off from collected revenue. The great film Bugsy featured Warren Beatty as the gangster getting a kickback from money due for the mob and this led to his execution. About a $2,000,000 kickback. Which was "a lot of money in 1947" as they say.

As you may know, Warren Beatty married his co-star Annette Bening, who played Victoria Hill, and they are still married today. And it wasn't for the $2 million!

Kickback in bridge refers to a bid above the agreed trump suit as an ace-asking bid. You need to know when it is kickback and when it is natural or disaster will beckon. And you need to agree when it applies and when it is just a cue-bid. Stefanie and I would have benefited from such an agreement on the following hand yesterday. We were guessing and I guessed wrong.

We started normally with (Pass)-1C-(1S)-2S-(3S). 2S was a good raise to 3C, about 10+, usually with five clubs. Now it would have been good to find out about West's keycards, but 4C by East would be non-forcing, and not Minorwood which we do play. I made the poor bid of 5C, and I think I should have bid 4D, a cue for clubs. West would bid 4H and I might then bid 6C, which is an excellent contract. I was reluctant to bid 3NT on the East hand, as we are likely to only have a single spade stop, and I did not want to bid RKCB as the response of 5D would force me to bid slam. 4D, kickback, which we have now agreed when 4C is non-forcing, would have found out about the two key cards and the queen of clubs. A good suggestion of Stefanie's.

Five Clubs and Six Clubs are interesting contracts. In the former, I played my best line for 13 tricks of playing a diamond to the king and a diamond to the jack, which worked well and scored +440. At least I beat the two pairs that cashed out in 3NT for +430. Six Clubs is a different kettle of fish. You will get a big score if you make it, so don't worry about the overtrick. Now you should cash the ace and king of diamonds and lead low to the jack, making your contract unless South has QTxx in diamonds. 

The origin of "kettle of fish" is interesting. The earliest use as "something very different" seems to be the London Mercury of 1923: