Kibosh
/ˈkaɪ.bɒʃ/noun
A thing that puts an end to something or stops it completely.
Did you know?Kibosh first appears in English in the 19th century as slang, and its exact origin is uncertain—one theory links it to a Yiddish or Anglo-Irish underworld word, which is why it still feels oddly like a verbal curse.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
kibosh
“Slang for something that ends, suppresses, or ruins a plan.”
19th Century
English slang
put the kibosh on
“To stop or spoil something decisively.”
Possible 19th Century source
Yiddish/Irish English
?
“Uncertain proposed slang source; no consensus etymology.”
Modern English
English
kibosh
“A decisive stop or end to something.”