Kibosh

[Wilson Gray]

On Dec 15, 2004, at 10:24 PM, Sam Clements wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM>
> Subject:      Kibosh
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> --------
>
> I've read the archive.  I've read the websites of members
> Wilton--http://www.wordorigins.org/wordork.htm#kibosh
>
> Quinion--http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/kibosh.htm
>
> Maven's Word of the Day(Random
> House)--http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19971113
>
> My questions:
>
> 1.  Has anyone put forth a good reason why it COULD NOT HAVE come from
> the
> Gaelic "cie bas" = "black cap" theory?  Along with this, is there any
> new
> evidence that would further this being the source of the word?  And,
> how far
> back can the "cie bas" phrase be found meaning what "kibosh" means?

FWIW, WRT the Quinion cite, Colum's first name is spelled "Padraig,"
not "Padrig." "Cie bais," as spelled on the site, with an acute over
the /a/, is pronounced approximately "key bawsh" in normal speech,
where "aw" is  pronounced long, like the citation pronunciation of
"awe." The citation pronunciation of "cie" is approximately [ki@].

-Wilson Gray

>
> 2.  Why is the word "bosh" NOT related to "kibosh?"  I understand that
> "bosh" is supposedly from the Turkish.  But why couldn't it have been
> related to "kibosh?"  The close timeframe of such related terms would
> seems
> to be made to order for their being related.  I know this isn't a
> sufficient
> reason for them to be related, but, they COULD be.  At least, IMHO.
>
> Sam Clements
>
>
> .
>