As an idiomatic phrase, “in kind” usually refers to payment or repayment made with something other than cash, such as labor, goods, or services. It may also mean responding with a similar action—for example, answering generosity in kind with generosity. In poetry, the phrase can carry irony or euphemism, especially when the unspecified “kind” of payment is suggestive. In Jonathan Swift’s poem, it is a sexual double entendre: Corinna, a prostitute, gains the favor of “Religious Clubs” by paying them with sexual services rather than money.

Usual meaning: A person may be paid “in kind” with food, lodging, labor, or products instead of money. Second meaning: “To respond in kind” means to return an action with a similar action, as in returning praise with praise—or insult with insult. In Swift’s poem: The phrase is deliberately euphemistic. It avoids naming sexual payment directly, fitting the poem’s satirical exposure of hypocrisy and exploitation. “Religious Clubs” likely refers to moral-reform groups or supposedly pious authorities. Swift’s irony is that such groups, though publicly concerned with virtue, may privately exploit or protect Corinna because of what she can offer them. Related phrases: “Payment in kind,” “return in kind,” and “respond in kind.” The phrase should not be confused with “kind” meaning charitable or gentle.