■ noun
1》 a toy consisting of a light frame with thin material stretched over it, flown in the wind at the end of a long string.
↘ Brit. informal, dated an aircraft.
2》 a long-winged bird of prey with a forked tail, which frequently soars on updraughts of air. [ Milvus milvus ( red ~ ) and other species.]
3》 Geometry a quadrilateral figure having two pairs of equal adjacent sides, symmetrical only about one diagonal.
4》 informal a fraudulent cheque, bill, or receipt.
↘an illicit or surreptitious letter.
↘ archaic a dishonest person.
5》 Sailing, informal a spinnaker.
■ verb
1》 [usu. as noun kiting ] fly a ~.
↘fly; move quickly.
2》 N. Amer. informal write or use (a fraudulent cheque, bill, or receipt).
Phrases
( as ) high as a ~ informal intoxicated with drugs or alcohol.
Origin
OE cȳta (in sense 2); prob. of imitative origin.