kibosh

Alternative forms

• kaibosh, kybosh, kyebosh, kiebosh

Etymology

Attested since at least the 1830s in a variety of spellings such as kibbosh and kye-bosk,^[1] of unclear origin. Proposals include:

• A non-rhotic variant of kurbash (“heavy whip, lash”),^[2] which is from Arabic كُرْبَاج‎ (kurbāj), from Turkish kırbaç,^[3][1]
• From Middle English caboche, cabosh, "behead (a deer)",^[4] related to French caboche.^[1]
• From Irish caidhp bháis, "death cap" (the hood put on someone before they were hanged to death, or the "black cap" worn by English judges when pronouncing the death sentence).
• From Hebrew כָּבַשׁ‎ (kabásh), meaning subdue or bring into bondage.

Compare bosh (“nonsense”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɒʃ
• (GenAM) IPA^(key): [ˈkaɪˌbɑʃ], IPA^(key): [kaɪˈbɑʃ], or IPA^(key): [kɪˈbɑʃ]

Noun

kibosh (uncountable)

1. (slang, dated) Nonsense, bosh. [19th c.]
   • 1835/36, Charles Dickens, Sketches by Boz, "Seven Dials":

     'What do you mean by hussies?' interrupted a champion of the other party, who has evinced a strong inclination to get up a branch fight on her own account. ('Hooroar,' ejaculates a pot-boy in parenthesis, 'put the kyebosk^{[sic, possibly a typo for kyebosh][1]} on her, Mary!)

2. (slang) A checking or restraining element. Only used in put the kibosh on.
3. (slang, dated) Fashion; style.
   • 1902, George Ade, Breaking into Society, "Rugged Hiram and Hiram's Giddy Wife":

     She was, in very Sooth, among the highest of the Rollers, but Hiram stood for the Bills with nary a Whimper. He was proud to be the Husband of the Lady Ki-Bosh of the Local Knickerbockers.

Verb

kibosh (third-person singular simple present kiboshes, present participle kiboshing, simple past and past participle kiboshed)

1. (transitive) To decisively terminate.

References