1. A glove made of kid-skin, lamb-skin, or other similar leather. With kid gloves, in a gentle, delicate or gingerly manner.
1832. Marryat, N. Forster, xxxii. A new pair of grey kid gloves.
1834. W. Hull, Hist. Glove Trade, 69. Men and women’s fine gloves, or those that pass in the shops under the denomination of kid-gloves, but which are really made from lamb-skins … dressed at Yeovil.
1888. Bryce, Amer. Commw., II. III. lviii. 410. The Americans who think that European politics are worked, to use the common phrase, ‘with kid gloves.’
2. attrib. as adj. Characterized by wearing kid-gloves; dainty or delicate in action or operation; avoiding real exertion or every-day work; free from roughness or harshness.
1856. H. H. Dixon, Post & Paddock, vii. 115. He was, in fact, a mere kid-glove sportsman.
1888. T. W. Higginson, Women & Men, 296. Anti-kid-glove literature is really no better than the kid-glove literature at which it affects to protest.
1892. Zangwill, Bow Mystery, 81. I don’t like your kid glove philanthropists meddling in matters they don’t understand.
Hence Kid-glove v. trans., to cover (the hands) with kid-gloves. Kid-gloved a., wearing kid-gloves; also fig., refined, dainty, delicate, etc.
1848. Clough, Bothie, V. 117. Dancing and pressing the fingers kid-gloved of a Lady Maria.
1859. Sala, Gas-light & D., xxiv. 276. You can descry a kid-gloved hand, with rings outside the glove.
1860. O. W. Holmes, Elsie V. (1887), 11. The richer part of the community that … kid-glove their hands.
1899. Stead, in Daily News, 19 July, 5/5. He [Sir Alfred Milner] was always somewhat of a kid-gloved gentleman.
