Great reference, Gerald! I think the derivation from the Irish
makes the most sense. All of the other alternatives given in
the article were really a stretch, but this one flows like water:
"The Irish poet, Padric Colum, believes the word originates in the
Irish Gaelic phrase cie báis meaning "cap of death". The word báis
is apparently pronounced 'bawsh' and cie is presumably
pronounced with a hard initial consonant, rather like "kai".
Having spent all of 3 hours or so studying the Irish language, I
can tell you that the pronciation is damn difficult to deduce from
the spelling! It could have come out something like "cay boesh",
as well, and still have been transmogrified into kai-bosh later on.
But to me, the most important etymological clue is the word "on"
in the full idiom -- "put the kibosh *on* it". A cap is something
you put on, and I can just *hear* a crusty old Irish countryman
saying, "Aye, lad, that's put the cie bais on it."
That's the kind of thing you would just naturally pick up and take
home with you!
(I just LOVE etymology...)
"Gerald. Pierce" wrote:
> Henry.....I think that Eric meant to say was Kibosh (kai-bosh). As to
> it's
> origin......much speculation but less certainty. Check this
> out>>>http://www.quinion.com/words/articles/kibosh.htm
>
> Henry K van Eyken wrote:
> >
> > Eric
> >
> > Always learning something new. Or do I? "Kibsosh." Where does that
> come from?
> >
> > Henry
> >
> > Eric Armstrong wrote:
> >
> > > Hey, Henry. Sorry for putting the kibsosh on
> > > your last project. I was going through a rough
> > > patch. (Hearing that dozens of folks were
> > > actually developing something, after all the
> > > time and energy I put into trying to get something
> > > off the ground -- well, that didn't really help.)
> > >
> >
> > etc.
> >
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