Another "kybosh"

[Douglas G. Wilson]

Irish? Yiddish? Hebrew? Turkish? Why not Chinese? (^_^)

Here's a fairly early instance of "kybosh" which I don't remember seeing
before:

Google Books:

http://tinyurl.com/7dp5rdz

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Charles Selby, _Maximums and Speciments of William Muggins, Natural
Philosopher and Citizen of the World_ (George Routledge [London], 1846)
(preface dated 1841): p. 247:

[apparently regarding cut-throat competition, here apparently musical
concerts versus drama]

<<Then there's the legitimate concerts at the Hopera-house, the
Hanover-square Rooms, and at the houses of the nobillerty, where there's
hall the Hitalians and hevery hextrornary foreigner as can be picked
hup. Then come the concerts and hopperas and waudeweals at the
public-houses, and last of hall, as a regler finisher, we gets the
"Concerts Musard." That's wot the Chinese calls the _kybosh_ -- the poor
hactors is bowled hout and must shut hup shop; none on 'em can stand
against a solo on the _cornet postilion_, or a caperiosky, or the
_tombone_, or the _double-barrelled flagelet_.>>

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Here "kybosh" seems to = "finisher", more or less as usual.

I'm not inclined to take the "Chinese" part too seriously.

-- Doug Wilson

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