Kissing cousins?

amethyst, I would guess and say that the expression has to do with cousins who are very close, i.e. first cousins or first cousins once removed.

I disagree with Letty.

"Kissing cousins" is a Southern term. A Kissing Cousin is a person whose relationship to by blood or marriage is very tenuous, but since the families (or the individuals) have been so close for so long.....that the individual is just like "real" kin.

A synonym would be "courtesy cousin".

Noddy, I just googled the expression and found only actual kin. As a matter of fact, it has to do with cousins who marry, etc.

Letty--

My goodness, gracious. I've been spreading 100 year old misinformation. Of course, what do you expect from a Yankee?

Heh, heh. Noddy, I was in luv with my first cousin from Richmond, but I never kissed him.

Actually, I think amethyst now has a glimpse into Yankeedom and Southernese interpretation.

I don't know why you didn't look for the idiom in any dictionary? Here is the definitions from AHD:

kissing cousin
n.
(1) A distant relative known well enough to be kissed when greeted.

(2) One of two or more things that are closely akin.

Letty--

My first cousin proposed to me--and I gave him the mitten.

Ah, we were all ardent in the days of our youth.

Hey, gal. What do you mean "in the days of our youth"

Oristar, colloquialisms are strange things. They differ in various regions and places.

Letty, Letty, Letty--

Our Salad Days when we were green in judgement.

Indeed, my friend. I don't know about you, but I'm still a little green around the gills. <smile>

Letty--

I'm still ardent--at least before nine o'the clock. Granted, some days this is 9:00 a.m.

Still, my ardent nature has been tempered with common sense. I have no passion to waste.

Noddy, a so called friend of mine once told me that I had all book sense and no common sense. When I was in college, our psych prof gave a test that measured common sense. If I can recall the questions, I'll be back.

Amethyst, sorry. Didn't mean to highjack your thread.

It refers to "cousins" who are ELIGIBLE to marry.

Don't get grossed out; it can happen innocently enough:

Consider Mr. A married to Mrs. B.

All of Mr. A's siblings' children refer to him as "Uncle" and to his wife as "Aunt".

Similarly, Mrs. B's siblings' children refer to her as "Aunt" and to her husband as "Uncle".

At family reunions, they are regarded as "cousins" (having an Aunt and Uncle in common), but they do not have any actual consanguinity, and are as marriageable to each other as were Mr. A and Mrs. B in the first place.

In other words, they may "kiss".