ABSTRACT
The origin of kibosh in put the kibosh on has long been one of the great mysteries in the English language. None of the suggestions has proved convincing, and lexicographers agree in saying 'Origin unknown' or 'Origin obscure'. But the authors of this book have revisited the issue in some detail, finding new evidence which points to a derivation of kibosh from kurbash, the fearsome Middle Eastern whip. The earliest previously noticed attestation of kibosh is from 1836—in Cockney speech—and the new antedatings of ca. 1830–1835, while only a few years older, are highly significant. They bring important evidence in favor of kibosh < kurbash and also confirm the early presence of kibosh in Cockney speech. The most important antedating, spotted by Goranson, is the ca.1830 kibosh in the broadside Penal Servitude!, an apparently humorous poem supposedly written by a convict returning from Australia.
