Some "K" Words: "Kibosh" 1

       We move from Middle English to Greek to Chinese in our previous three "K" words.  As the origins get more exotic, you might well wonder about “kibosh.”  “Put the kibosh on, put an end to: dispose of finally.”

       I could easily accept what my friend first put me on to, Gaelic, cie bas, pronounced “kibosh,” which means "death cape."  To me that sounds perfect.  Writing of word and phrase origins, author Robert Hendrickson is inclined to see this as “the most logical explanation.”

       But then Hendrickson offers up the long held belief that the etymology is Yiddish, going back to “kye” as “18” and “bosh” as “pence.”  What is this about?  More (and "K" concluded) tomorrow.