v.102 â Rise of Fellowship Update Notes

Or we could just look in the dictionary and see what it means rather than how we see it used;
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sidekick

side·kick noun
1. a close friend.
2. a confederate or assistant.


Note the or is neither exclusive nor mandatory. One implication of the word is not the sum of the word's meaning.

Trouble is, dictionaries often give meanings that are not entirely in touch with current usage.
If you, living in the USA, casually mention "my sidekick" in conversation, would people react the same way as if you said "my friend" or "my confederate" or even "my assistant"?
I think not. I think they are more likely to take it to mean what Wikipedia says it does:

A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato, Shrek's Donkey and Batman's Robin.

Would any of your friends take kindly to being referred to as your sidekicks?