Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus./US) one who complains or grumbles.

1876		Chicago Trib. 6 Aug. 7/5: One ‘kicker’ in a nine will spoil the other eight [DA].
1879		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 15 Nov. 14/4: It [...] made all the others more than willing to pass over the Vs [and] brought the ‘kicker’ to his senses.
1880		Jamestown Alert (ND) 14 Sept. 1/3: These very identical kickers are upholding and patronizing a boozery of their own.
1887		G. Devol Forty Years a Gambler 90: I turned to the kicker and told him if he made a move I would cook his goose.
1894		Mirror of Life 3 Feb. 7/4: ‘Do you mean to say that you couldn’t tell the editor how to run his paper?’ exclaimed the kicker.
1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 87: ‘Wait a minute,’ interrupted No. 7, the parliamentarian and kicker.
1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 7 Sept. 3/4: One voyager [...] was the worst kicker. He kicked like a two-year-old being broken to the sandbag and roller.
1913		H.A. Franck Zone Policeman 88 93: I detest a kicker. I have small use for any but the man who will take his allotted share with the rest of the world without either whining or snarling.
1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 145: That left the Kickers without a Leg to stand on.
1935		S. Lewis It Can’t Happen Here 129: ‘I guess none of us chronic kickers want to say much about what we plan to do’.
1997–2000		Da Bomb 🌐 17: Kicker: A person of a difficult temper.