Wednesday, 28 January 2026

Put the Kibosh on.....


To put the Kibosh on something....to put a stop to it

ie  'his parents put the Kibosh on the teenager's plan to hold a party' 

Thanks Wikipedia. That's the perfect example. 

I can hear my father using it in that context. It's an expression he would have loved 

This phrase came to mind this morning. It's years since I've heard it used.

'the phrase has been used in English since the early 1800s. Exact origin unknown. May come from a Turkish word for a whip'







21 comments:

  1. Lol...take them with a pinch of salt :)
    Jo

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  2. I have used that many times while raising teenagers. I’m sure it upset them more using this saying than just a no. I felt slightly posh saying it.

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    1. I love the saying and must remember to use it. Good for you putting the Kibosh on those reckless teenagers lol

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  3. I use the word myself, but I've never seen it written! I love the AL quote; he really was a man ahead of his time.

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    1. Good Ole Abe. He could see what was coming...chaos

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  4. Yes, kibosh is still a word that I would use. Currently our favourite word is 'discombobulated'. Such a fun word :)

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  5. Kibosh is still in regular use. That is really all I have to say about it. I guess it is not such a regular thing for you because you live in Greece surrounded by Greeks!

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    1. I am surprised that it's still in use. I suppose it is because I live in a non English speaking country but I haven't heard it used in years. Not even by the expats. I really feel like an alien!

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  6. We use that expression a lot. I suppose that dates us. 😳

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    1. I wonder. It seems that everyone still knows the expression and like you, use it too

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  7. It's a Crazy World29 January 2026 at 08:04

    I know the word, but never heard my parents use it. I don't think I've ever used it either! Although there were times I should have :-)
    I truly only maintain a presence on FB to keep up with friends and family ~ there is way too much anger and conflict to suit me.

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    1. I use Fb like that too. The anger and conflict seems too much there for me too

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  8. I had never heard this expression, and i can see why. But the word kibosh immediately sounded familiar to me, there is such a word in Hebrew, its meaning is something that is crushed or surrendered.
    chat gpt says that this word probably entered English through Yiddish, especially in 19th century America.

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    1. Yes, when I first considered the word I thought it might be Hebrew. I was surprised that Wikipedia said Turkish

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  9. I've heard that phrase before, it's said here over the years but I think there's another word that means the same thing, can't remember it though.

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