Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus.) to struggle on despite the negative odds.

1949		L. Glassop Lucky Palmer 70: I’ll come good. I’ll kick on with this O.K.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 15: Upon hitting the bitumen he took stock of what he had left in his willy. He decided he had enough pap to kick on.
1993		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read How to Shoot Friends 124: She’s just a sharp chick looking to kick on in her chosen field.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.

2. to prosper, to succeed.

1984		B. Ellem Doing Time app. C 218: I kicked on because they knew me, but you get some poor kid who doesn’t kick on. They used to take his clothes off him, bash him, fuck him.
1986		R.G. Barrett Real Thing 116: Hey, not a bad car you’ve got, Les. Shit, you’ve kicked on.
1998		P. Doyle (con. late 1950s) Amaze Your Friends (2019) 86: For us to kick on again Max would need to get his book of magic tricks together.

3. (Aus.) to continue drinking or enjoying oneself.

1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 32: Kick on: To continue drinking after someone has ‘found the necessary’ or ‘got the readies’, meaning that one in the party has found enough money to buy the next round of drinks.
1998		R.G. Barrett Mud Crab Boogie (2013) [ebook] Les was in a pretty good mood and felt like kicking on a bit.
2001		(con. 1945–6) P. Doyle Devil’s Jump (2008) 201: Why don’t we have a whip round and get ourselves a bottle or two of scotch and kick on at my flat after?

4. (Aus.) to tolerate, to get along with.

1984

T. Anderson Boobtalk 8: to kick on. To go along with [DAUS].

5. of an individual, to enjoy oneself; of a place, to liven up.

1992		R.G. Barrett White Shoes 52: We’ll go downstairs and rage it off. It starts to kick on about now.
2000		S. Maloney Big Ask 40: All six were in their mid-twenties, well oiled and kicking on.