cush(t)y-mush(t)y

[Benjamin Zimmer]

Spotted in King Kaufman's sports column for Salon.com:

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http://www.salon.com/news/sports/col/kaufman/2005/03/31/thursday/index1.html
I'll do what I did two years ago and take a flyer on the Cubs, though it's
less of a flyer this time. ... But it wouldn't be a flyer if everything
looked all cushty-mushty, would it?
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I've seen "cushty" ('good, fine') in UK contexts -- OED says it's from
Romani _kushto_/_kushti_, perhaps influenced by "cushy" (which is of
Anglo-Indian origin, from Hindi _khush_ 'pleasure').  Kaufman has
apparently borrowed the reduplicated "cushty-mushty" from Monty Python's
Terry Gilliam, since Gilliam used it in an interview Kaufman did in 2001:

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http://dir.salon.com/people/feature/2001/06/16/horse_int/index.html
[Kaufman:] What have you been up to since "Holy Grail"?
[Gilliam:] Well, I don't mind telling you, it hasn't all been cushty
mushty, old friend.
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No Googlehits aside from Kaufman and Gilliam, but there are some examples
of "cushy-mushy" (doesn't seem to be geographically localized):

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http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Bike_hardtail/product_19644.shtml
Don't buy this bike if you are looking for a cushy-mushy ride.
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http://www.starwatch.co.za/gemini.htm
Home and family From January to end-September, home life hits a cushy-mushy
peak, filled with love, bliss and generally good vibes.
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http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00003520&channel=gulberg
Maybe we should call the bluff now and see things from what they really
are rather than from the prism of "inter-faith" cushy-mushy glasses.
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http://sonicrampage.com/index.php?option=articles&task=viewarticle&artid=20&Itemid=3
I would love to say "Yeah, it was all pre-planned and everything was just
cushy mushy."
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http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.juggling/msg/74859bc75a68be85
Better grip, and that tiny bit of padding from the foam that makes
everything feel all cushymushy.
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--Ben Zimmer