Search: kybosh origin
Why: "Fans of the original ["Battlestar Galactica"] series really like their version and were disappointed that Ron Moore's version apparently put the kybosh on any possible continuation."
Answer: Nobody knows for sure! Most agree that originated in Britain in the early part of last century - the OED cites Dickens’ Sketches by Boz of 1836 as the first use in print. Some etymological theories:
- It derives from the Yiddish word kabas or kabbasten, “to suppress.”
- It is an acronym formed from the initial letters of 3 Yiddish words meaning 18 British coins: the Hebrew chai for "18", shekel for "coin," and British in the middle. This would have something to do with "life."
- It is derived from caboshed, the heraldic description of the emblem of an animal which is shown full-face, but cut off close to the ears so that no neck shows (wtf).
- It originates in the Gaelic phrase cie báis meaning “cap of death.”
- It comes from Middle High German kiebe, meaning “carrion” (aka dead animal flesh).
The More You Know: Early written references varied a lot in spelling. Dickens spelled it kye-bosk (presumably a literal spelling of the then Cockney pronunciation). The London humorous magazine Punch used cibosh in an article in 1856. The modern form appeared first in The Slang Dictionary in 1869.
Regarding the origin or origins of the English word kibosh,you have copied uncritically from a source that copies uncritically from sources that copy uncritically from sources that copy uncritically from.... For the first and still only serious study of the origin or origins of the word, see David L. Gold, "After at Least 138 Years of Discussion, the Etymological Puzzle Is Possibly Solved: The Originally British English Informalism kibosh as in 'put the kibosh on [something]' Could Come from the Clogmakers' Term kybosh 'iron bar which, when hot, is used to soften and smooth leather' (with Possible Reinforcement from Western Ashkenazic British English khay bash 'eighteen pence')," which appeared in Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses, no. 24, November 2011, pp. 73-129. The article, in digitalized form, may be obtained free of charge by emailing the author's secretary (mirielle01[at]yahoo.com).
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