Verb
kick like a mule (third-person singular simple present kicks like a mule, present participle kicking like a mule, simple past and past participle kicked like a mule)
(simile) To have a very strong physical effect
This Russian drink tastes foul, but it kicks like a mule.
The shelf was filled with books that were hard to read, that could devastate and remake one's soul, and that, when they were finished, had a kick like a mule. Mark Helprin