The origin of the noun is uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * According to Gerald Leonard Cohen, Stephen Goranson, and Matthew Little, at present the most likely derivation is as a non-rhotic variant of kurbash (“heavy whip, lash”), from Arabic كُرْبَاج (kurbāj, “lash, whip”), or from its etymon Ottoman Turkish قرباچ (kırbaç, “lash, whip”) (whence Turkish kırbaç (“whip”)). * From Irish caidhp bháis (literally “death cap”), said to denote, among other things, the black cap worn by English judges when pronouncing the death sentence, the hood put on a person before they were put to death by hanging, or a form of torture called pitchcapping. However, there appears to be no convincing evidence that the term was used in these senses. * From a Yiddish word (compare Hebrew כָּבַשׁ (kavásh, “to conquer, subjugate”)); however, no such word has been found. * From Middle English cabochen (“to cut off (the head, chiefly of a deer), behead”), from Middle French cabocher (“to cut off (the head)”), from caboche (“the head”) (Northern France, informal) (whence Middle English caboche (“head of cabbage”)), from Italian capocchia (“the head”) (derogatory), ultimately from Latin caput (“the head”). The Middle English word is said to have been adopted in Cockney slang; however, how this is supposed to have happened remains unexplained * A clogmakers’ term kibosh (“iron bar about a foot long that, when hot, is used to soften and smooth leather”). The verb is derived from the noun.
1
Slang Chiefly in put on the kibosh or put the kibosh on: something which checks or restrains.
“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. (“Hoo-roa,” ejaculates a pot-boy in a parenthesis, “put the kye-bosh on her, Mary.”)1837, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Seven Dials”, in Sketches by Boz: Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. The Second Series, London: John Macrone, […], →OCLC, page 149:
Once or twice triumphant memories of the earlier incidents nerve his face for awhile. "I put the ky-bosh on his little game," he remarks.1896, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “The Envoy”, in The Wheels of Chance: A Holiday Adventure, London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent and Co.; New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Co., →OCLC, section XLI, page 312:
4 more examples
It's one of my little chores as private secretary to smell out these revolutions and affix the kibosh before they break out and scratch the paint off the government property.1904 November, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Phonograph and the Graft”, in Cabbages and Kings, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., pages 114–115:
The right plan would be to put the complete kybosh (if I may use the expression) on your chances of becoming an alderman.1909 October – 1910 February, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “The Knock-out for Mr. Waring”, in Psmith Journalist, London: A[dam] & C[harles] Black, […], published October 1923, →OCLC, page 239:
Robbing Peter to pay Paul. Gob, that puts the bloody kybosh on it if old sloppy eyes is mucking up the show.1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 321:
George put the kibosh on the Kirov case and now he's trying to get it right, flying solo in his old age.1979 November, John le Carré [pseudonym: David John Moore Cornwell], chapter 15, in Smiley’s People (A Borzoi Book), 1st trade edition, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published 1980, →ISBN, page 198:
The origin of the noun is uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * According to Gerald Leonard Cohen, Stephen Goranson, and Matthew Little, at present the most likely derivation is as a non-rhotic variant of kurbash (“heavy whip, lash”), from Arabic كُرْبَاج (kurbāj, “lash, whip”), or from its etymon Ottoman Turkish قرباچ (kırbaç, “lash, whip”) (whence Turkish kırbaç (“whip”)). * From Irish caidhp bháis (literally “death cap”), said to denote, among other things, the black cap worn by English judges when pronouncing the death sentence, the hood put on a person before they were put to death by hanging, or a form of torture called pitchcapping. However, there appears to be no convincing evidence that the term was used in these senses. * From a Yiddish word (compare Hebrew כָּבַשׁ (kavásh, “to conquer, subjugate”)); however, no such word has been found. * From Middle English cabochen (“to cut off (the head, chiefly of a deer), behead”), from Middle French cabocher (“to cut off (the head)”), from caboche (“the head”) (Northern France, informal) (whence Middle English caboche (“head of cabbage”)), from Italian capocchia (“the head”) (derogatory), ultimately from Latin caput (“the head”). The Middle English word is said to have been adopted in Cockney slang; however, how this is supposed to have happened remains unexplained * A clogmakers’ term kibosh (“iron bar about a foot long that, when hot, is used to soften and smooth leather”). The verb is derived from the noun.
1
Slang To decisively put a stop to or terminate (someone or something).
Philly Kiboshes Blackout Tutoring [title] […] Plan of the Pennsylvania State Council of Defense to ring in a State-wide network of 45 stations for an "educational" blackout test, was nixed by the Office of Censorship after it was okayed by the Third Service Command of the army. Skedded for Thursday (8), purpose of the broadcast was to educate public with air raid warning signals and all Pennsylvanians were urged to listen to instructions as broadcast.1943 July 17, “Philly Kiboshes Blackout Tutoring”, in The Billboard: The World’s Foremost Amusement Weekly, volume 55, number 29, Cincinnati, Oh.: Roger S. Littleford Jr.; William D. Littleford, →OCLC, page 6, column 1:
Deal for network star Henry Morgan to sign a Majestic contract for two albums has fallen thru, with Paul Baron, newly-named artist and repertoire topper at the diskery, kiboshing a deal that virtually had been consummated between his predecessors and Music Corporation of America (MCA).1947 September 6, “Paul Baron Nixes 2 Morgan Albums”, in Joseph G. Csida, editor, The Billboard: The World’s Foremost Amusement Weekly, volume 59, number 35, Cincinnati, Oh.: Roger S. Littleford Jr.; William D. Littleford, →OCLC, page 14, column 3:
4 more examples
His second book is full of spirited advice on how to do business deals. According to [Mark] McCormack, this often amounts to keeping lawyers from kiboshing the deal.1987 December 1, Peter Megargee Brown, “We Have Met the Enemy: The Terrible Truth about Lawyers by Mark H. McCormack, William Morrow, New York, N.Y., 260 pages; $17.95 [book review]”, in Laurence Bodine, editor, ABA Journal: The Lawyer’s Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: American Bar Association, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 127:
But this discovery, as cheering as it was, also kiboshed the hypothesis about different-colored varieties of H. simus in different reasons, because the dozen animals at Kianjavato were charcoal gray, just as [Patricia] Wright had originally expected.1996, David Quammen, “So Huge a Bignes”, in The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions, New York, N.Y.: Scribner, published 2004, →ISBN, page 239:
At which point, Mrs Arbuthnot enters to kibosh her son's prospects, only to be told, when the family facts emerge, that she should marry the high-born roué who has ruined her.2003 September 17, Michael Billington, “Theatre: A Woman of No Importance, Haymarket Theatre, London [review]”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 May 2022:
It appears some chump at Revenue and Customs has, against all rules, put a disc or discs containing 25 million child benefit records – names, addresses, National Insurance numbers, bank account details, the lot – in the post and inevitably it has gone missing. […] As several people pointed out, with particular reference to ID cards, this kiboshes any notion that confidential information is safe in government hands.2007 November 20 (date written), Chris Mullin, chapter 2007, in Ruth Winstone, editor, Decline and Fall: Diaries 2005–2010, London: Profile Books, published 2010, →ISBN, pages 213–214:
kibosh
noun
Etymology Possibly a variant of bosh (“nonsense”).
Still I wish you a 'Appy New Year, if you care for the kibosh, old Chappie, / Though 'taint 'Igh Art Cards full o' gush and green paint 'll make you and me 'appy. / Wot we want is lucre and larks, love and lotion as much as you'll carry!1885 January 3, ’Arry [pseudonym], “’Arry on ’Appiness”, in Punch, or The London Charivari, volume LXXXVIII, London: […] Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 4, column 1:
Gar'n! Gives me the 'ump, all this kibosh 'bout morals, and taste, and all that.1887 April 9, ’Arry [pseudonym], “Studies from Mr. Punch’s Studio. No. XXIV.”, in Punch, or The London Charivari, volume XCII, London: […] Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 172, column 2:
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.1904 March, George Ade, “Rugged Hiram and Hiram’s Giddy Wife”, in Breaking into Society, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 34: