Tag: Dictionary Definitions

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter  T:

Part of Speech:

Adjective

Meaning: 

1.  Having, or marked by, repeated turns or bends; winding or twisting.

2.  Not straightforward, or morally crooked – as in proceedings, methods, or policy; highly involved; lengthy and /or complex; deceitful; devious

Note: The word, tortuous is not to be confused with torturous. The latter is based on the word torture  which is painful and characterised by suffering.

Pronunciation:

tor-tu-ous   (tôr′cho͞o-əs)

Audio Link:

TORTUOUS

Related Word Forms:

tortuously (adverb)

tortuousness (noun)

Synonyms:  

1.  winding   meandering   meandrous   wandering   twisted   twisting   twisty   bent   zigzag   sinuous   curved    crooked   serpentine   snaky   labyrinthine   mazy   circuitous   anfractious    indirect  roundabout   convoluted   complicated   flexuous    involute

2.   convoluted    involved   misleading   deceptive   deceitful   ambiguous   tricky   devious

Antonyms:

Straight   straightforward   direct   linear   simple   easy   uncomplicated   uninvolved untwisted   rectilinear   undeviating   open   reliable   upright   honest

Word Origin:

Late Middle English (1350–1400) via Old French, from the Latin tortuosus from tortus meaning ‘twisting’ or ‘a twist’, from the Latin torquere ‘to twist’.

Use the Word:

1.  The road through the mountains wound tortuously down to the beach, its serpentine form graceful and smooth against the steep and craggy terrain.  Yet the beauty of the scene became somewhat marred as the inexperienced driver negotiated each sharp hairpin bend with evident unease.

2.  A collective sigh of relief filled the room as the conference drew to a close. After  over three hours of poorly delivered speeches, most of which were a mix of ambiguity and tortuousness, no one in the audience was inclined to hide their displeasure from the speakers as they rose to leave.

 3.  Beneath the warm sun of the summer, when the corkscrew willow is in leaf, the line of each tortuous branch disappears from sight in pursuit of finding some cool place to rest behind the parasol of green…

But in winter all is laid bare and the tortuous route of each twisting, dragon’s claw can be clearly seen, notably when snowflakes break their fall on the tree’s labyrinthine form.

***

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter  S:

Part of Speech:

Noun

Meaning: 

A person who attempts to gain advantage by flattering influential people or behaving in a servile manner, as if he has no self-respect; a self-seeking, fawning parasite.

Pronunciation:

sy-co-phant  (sy-co –fant)

sik –uh-fuhnt (sik – uh-fant)

Audio Link:

SYCOPHANT

Related Forms:

sycophants (plural noun)

sycophancy (n)   sycophantism (n)

sycophantic (adj)   sycophantically (adj)    sycophantish (adj)

sycophantical (adv)   sycophantishly (adv)

Synonyms:  

yes man   toady   fawner   suck-up   lickspittle   brown nose/noser   arse/ass-licker  arse/ass- kisser   groveller   apple polisher   backslapper   backscratcher   puppet   flatterer  lackey  crawler  leech minion   creep   flunkey   doormat   boot licker   truckler   sponge  sponger  parasite   kowtower   hanger-on   cringer   goody-goody   adulator   Uriah Heep

Antonyms:

honest   principled   unsubmissive   individualist   free-thinker   arrogant   unservile  imperious   impertinent   proud   boastful   high-handed   haughty   lordly

Word Origin:

Mid 16th century (1530-40) denoting an informer, from the French sycophante, or via Latin from the Greek sukophantes, also meaning informer, or slanderer (from sukon meaning ‘fig’ and phainein meaning ‘to show or reveal’).  This is perhaps in reference to making the insulting gesture of the ‘fig’ (yes, the fruit) i.e. sticking the thumb between two fingers to informers.

The Merriam Webster Dictionary once again adds a little  more information to this reference:

How did fig revealers become slanderers? One theory has to do with the taxes Greek farmers were required to pay on the figs they brought to market. Apparently, the farmers would sometimes try to avoid making the payments, but squealers—fig revealers—would fink on them, and they would be forced to pay. Another possible source is a sense of the word fig meaning “a gesture or sign of contempt” (as thrusting a thumb between two fingers). In any case, Latin retained the “slanderer” sense when it borrowed a version of sykophantēs, but by the time English speakers in the 16th century borrowed it as sycophant, the squealers had become flatterers.

Use the Word in a Sentence (or a paragraph or short story). 

 

The Sad Tale of King Fred

 

King Fred was a vain and conceited man and quite ineffectual as the ruler of Cleverland. Content to spend his days surrounded by fawning, sycophantic courtiers who constantly boosted his ego with insincere flattery, the kingdom would have long since ceased to function if not for the administrative ability of  Princess Gertrude, Fred’s beautiful and sagacious daughter.

One day, after listening to bucketloads of praise from the grovelling sycophants regarding Fred’s ability to perform any task he chose, a handsome young courtier named Luvstruk took his cue: ‘You are skilled in so many things, my king, and put the rest of us to shame. If we had a suitable vessel, I’m sure you could fly it to the moon! You could certainly outshine our most highly trained coach drivers if you desired, and make those horses gallop faster than ever.’

The sponging parasites cheered King Fred on with sycophantish zeal as he left the stable yard driving his own stately coach. Fred yelled and whooped at the two lusty horses, and thrashed with his whip and reins. Unused to this amateur hand, horses whinnied and sidled, then reared and shot off, leaving Fred hanging on for dear life. The resounding crash beyond the palace gates said it all.

The sycophants wept over the mangled body of the king who had plied them with wine and expensive gifts in exchange for their self-serving praise. Luvstruk grinned. If those toadies thought that Fred’s successor would be just as gullible, they could think again.

Luvstruk headed into the castle to report on a successful mission to the future queen. The thistles under the harnesses had done the trick. Gertrude would be a wise and diligent ruler, who would brook no sycophancy in her court, and the kingdom would prosper. Gertrude would also ensure that all those kowtowing sycophants would be seeking new employment in a kingdom far away from Cleverland.

***

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter R:

Part of Speech:

Noun

Meaning: 

1.  A confused rambling of pointless statements or incoherent discourse; nonsense; garbled nonsense.

2.  Any long, complicated, ritualistic or petty set of procedures; a particular course of action intended to achieve a result;  a foolishly involved, fussy or time-wasting procedure.

Pronunciation:

rig•ma•role

Audio Link:

RIGMAROLE

Related Forms:

RIgmaroles (Plural noun)

Rigamarole (Noun) Based on pronunciation in some areas

Synonyms:  

meaningless   nonsense   bunk   bunkum   hokum   gibberish   gobbledegook/gobbledygook  yarn   blather   claptrap   balderdash   poppycock   spiel   piffle   twaddle   malarkey  tommyrot   baloney   drivel   tomfoolery   garbage   hooey   bull   crap   bafflegab    blabbityblab   song and dance   farce   jargon   rubbish   flummery   hot air   mumbo jumbo   palaver  carry on   kerfuffle

Antonyms:

truth   sense   rationality   shrewdness

Word Origin:

Mid 18th century (1730-40) as the meaning defined in Sense 1. Apparently, it’s an alteration of the term, ragman roll, originally denoting a legal document recording a list of offences.

The story of this word originates in the 13th century with King Edward I of England’s dealings  with the Scots.  Follow the link to read a short article from Mental Floss (Arika Okrent) titled Where Does ‘Rigmarole’ Come From?  HERE.

In addition to the possible derivation(s) of the word Ragman suggested in the above article, it has also been suggested that the actual term, Ragman Rolls, is derived from the ribbons – or rags -attached to the seals on the parchment. But the name could also have come from an even earlier record compiled for the purposes of Papal taxation by a man called Ragimunde, whose name was corrupted to Ragman.

(So, nothing certain there, then…)

Use the Word in a Sentence (or a paragraph or short story). 

1.  It was said that all the rigmarole being bandied around about the old hotel being haunted was instigated by the local Council to stop anyone from buying it. They’d been eyeing the place up for another new supermarket – when the small town already had five and a sixth would be decidedly superfluous. Fortunately, as head of the biggest Property Agent in the county, with more than a sprinkling of ghost-hunting techniques to his credit, Martin was able to assure people that the Council was spouting a load of old twaddle. This house was no more haunted than Sainsbury’s on the High Street – and the resident ghosts in that establishment only came out to party after closing time.

2.  By the time we boarded the plane, we’d spent several wearisome hours at the airport. Not only did we have to stand for ages in the queue to have our passports checked, customs officials went through the whole malarkey of searching the contents of our luggage. To put the top hat on things, the metal inserted into my thigh at the hospital after a fall from a ladder set off the bleepers as we passed through the scanners, and I was called aside for a closer search and body scan. Just as if I’d be smuggling anything under my clothes! At my age… I ask you. I can tell you that forty winks during the flight is greatly needed after all this rigmarole – and next year, me and Vera will be driving no further than Blackpool for our holidays.

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter Q:

Part of Speech:

Adjective

Meaning: 

1.   Quiet, still, or in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy.

2.  An absence of upheaval or discord.

3.  Having little or no sunspot activity. (Astronomy)

4.  Asymptomatic (in Medicine) i.e. a condition or a person producing or showing no symptoms.

Pronunciation: 

qui -es -cent   [ kwee-es–uhnt, kwahy-es-cent]

Audio Link:

QUIESCENT

Related Forms:

quiescence or quiescency (both nouns)

quiescently (adverb)

Synonyms:

still  calm  tranquil unagitated motionless  unmoving  immobile undisturbed  quiet  peaceful asleep  slumbering  resting  serene  passive  placid  silent inoperative  inactive  dormant latent deactivated  inert  in abeyance  stagnant

Antonyms:

Active  activated  agitated   awake alert

Word Origin:

17th century (1600-10) from Latin quiescere meaning to rest or to become quiet or still. It often suggests a temporary cessation of activity

Use the Word in a Sentence (or a paragraph or short story). 

1.   The news from London shocked Lady Margaret, rendering her quiescent for the first time in months. Her youngest son had run off with a barmaid, apparently preferring the girl’s company to listening to conversations in this magnificent hall that had been his home for the past nineteen years. Well, Margaret decided, she would endure his absence quiescently for the next few weeks, by which time he would have run out of money and be on his way home. James had evidently not yet realised that until his twenty-first birthday, his monetary allowance was limited, and did not lend itself to providing for a floozy. Still, James’ absence would bring a welcomed period of quiescence to the house for a while, which would please her husband, Lord Algernon, very well indeed.

2.   From the top level of the pagoda, Akitomo gazed at the beautiful vista before him. The majestic snow-capped mountain, Fujiyama – Fujisan to his people – reared tall and proud to dominate the island. It had been quiescent for over three hundred years and the people of Honshu had grown complacent, choosing to believe that the once vengeful volcano would remain in a state of silent quiescence for ever. It was said that to people of the past the volcano was a god, ever ready to wreak punishment on his errant children. Akitomo shook his head, knowing that to be no more than myth. Though Fuji appeared to be resting quiescently, in the chambers deep beneath, the raging magma was never still. Once the mounting pressure forced it to the surface, the majestic Fujisan would, indeed, seem like an angry god, and the towns that had developed at his feet would feel his wrath.

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter P:

Part of Speech:

Adjective

Meaning: 

1.  Admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion; reflecting light evenly from all surfaces

2 . Extremely clear in style or meaning; easy to understand

Pronunciation:

pel·lu·cid  (pə-lo͞o′sĭd)  / pə-ˈlü-səd

Audio Link:

PELLUCID

Related Forms:

pellucidity; pellucidness (both nouns)

pellucidly (adverb)

Synonyms:

1. clear  crystal clear  crystalline  transparent  translucent  limpid  see-through  glassy  bright

2.  perspicuous  comprehensible  unambiguous  straightforward  plain  clear  transparent translucent  explicit  simple

Antonyms:

cloudy  opaque  unclear  turbid  obscure  confused ambiguous

Word Origin:

Early 17th century (1610s): from the Latin pellucidus, from perlucere, meaning  ‘shine through’.

As with last week’s word, the Merriam Webster dictionary gives this extra piece of information about the origins of pellucid (including an interesting snippet about the name for the devil):

“Pellucid is formed from Latin per (“through”) plus lucidus—a word meaning “lucid, clear” that ultimately derives from the verb lucēre, meaning “to shine.” Lucēre has many shining relatives in English. Among them are translucent (essentially, “clear enough to allow light to pass through”), elucidate (“to make clear, explain”), lucent (“luminous” or “clear”), and of course lucid itself (which can mean “shining,” “mentally sound,” or “easily understood”). Another related word is Lucifer (a name for the devil that literally means “light-bearer”). Other relatives—such as lackluster (“lacking brightness”) illustrate (originally, “to make bright”), and lustrous (“shining” or “radiant”)—trace from the related Latin verb lustrare (“to brighten”). Clearly, pellucid is just one of a family of brilliant terms.”

Use the Word in a Sentence: 

1.  The small island appeared deserted as we dropped anchor, and observing the pellucid waters that lapped its golden shores we could only wonder why. Setting up camp here for a few days to do a spot of hunting and fishing, and filling our hold with the island’s fruitful produce, seemed an excellent idea. The appearance of half a dozen canoes full of painted warriors rounding the island and chanting their war cry put paid to our plans. Even thoughts of swimming in the limpid waters could not prevent us from weighing anchor and putting out to sea, fast.

2.  A train passed through the village on its way to the city some ten miles away, the regular clickety-clacking of its wheels on the track momentarily masking the pellucidity of a church bell ringing across the valley.

3.  The new science tutor’s lecture on mitosis and meiosis was not delivered as pellucidly as Janie was used to from the recently retired Professor Roberts and she could make neither head nor tail of her notes.

***

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter O:

Part of Speech:

Verb (transitive)

Meaning: 

1.  to obscure, make unclear, or darken

2 . to bewilder confuse or stupefy

(often intentionally in both definitions – other than in natural processes of darkening e.g. nightfall, severe weather conditions)

Pronunciation:

ob·fus·cate

ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt,

Audio Link:

OBFUSCATE

Related Forms:

obfuscation

obfuscatory

obfuscating (present participle)

obfuscates (third person singular present tense)

obfuscated (past tense)

Synonyms:

1.  obscure  bedim  dim  make obscure  dull  blur  muddle  jumble  muddy  cloud  befog muddy the waters  overcast  shadow

2.  bewilder  mystify  confuse  puzzle  perplex  baffle  complicate  confound  bemuse befuddle  nonplus  flummox  rattle

Antonyms:

clarify  elucidate

Word Origin:

Late Middle English (1525-35) from late Latin obfuscat meaning darkened, from the verb obfuscare, based on Latin  ob + fusc(us ) dark 

The Merriam Webster dictionary gives this extra piece of information, which I particularly like:

“The verb shares its ob- root (meaning “over, completely”) with obscure,  another word that can refer to the act of concealing something or making it more difficult to see or understand. The rest of obfuscate comes from Latin fuscus, which means “dark brown” and is distantly related to our word dusk.”

Use the Word in a Sentence: 

1.  Gelda quickened her pace as a thick fog closed in around her, gradually obfuscating the narrow path through the forest, the only route that would take her safely home. If her mother had not obfuscated about the whereabouts of Gelda’s father, they would never have had that awful row and she would not have run off into these woods in the first place.

2.  Jeremy often looked back on his schooldays, recalling how he’d hated most of the teachers. Admittedly he’d been a mischievous lad and learning had never been easy for him – but that didn’t excuse the way they all seemed to deliberately resort to obfuscation when he asked them to explain things he didn’t understand. Yet Jeremy would always remember the kindness of one of his earliest teachers. Mrs Willows’ lessons were never obfuscatory and she was always happy to spend time explaining things to him. If more of his teachers had been like her, perhaps he would have made something of himself in life instead of drifting from one dead-end job to another. Too late to do anything about it now; he was almost forty, after all.… Or was it too late? Perhaps a few classes at night school would get him some useful qualifications. Then, if called for job interviews, the questions he was asked would not obfuscate him as much as they’d done in the past.

3.  Inspector Davis, let me be clear on this. You’re suggesting that all the witnesses have lied throughout police investigations and this trial in order to deliberately obfuscate matters?’

***

If you would like to join us in doing this weekly post, both Louise and I would be happy to see you. You can pick your own word and illustrate its use in any way you choose (even a short story) or use your chosen word to follow a similar pattern to our posts.

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter N:

Part of Speech:

Adjective

Meaning:

1.  Cloudy, misty or hazy e.g. indistinct shapes in the gloom

2.  (Of a concept) lacking definite form or limits; vague; not clearly defined or easy to understand

3.  (As in astronomy) of, relating to, or characteristic of a nebula or nebulae (plural) in deep space; nebular

• For a good, simple definition of a nebula and nebulae see this one from Nasa.

Pronunciation:

neb·u·lous  /  neb-yuh-luhs   (nĕb′yə-ləs)

Audio Link:

NEBULOUS

Related Forms:

nebulously (adverb)

nebulousness (noun)

Synonyms:

Ambiguous  amorphous  indistinct  indefinite  indeterminate  unclear  vague  ill-defined  imprecise hazy  cloudy  murky misty  fuzzy unformed  shadowy  confused  lacking definition  opaque  blurred  blurry  out of focus  foggy  faint  shadowy  dim  obscure  shapeless  formless  nebulose

Antonyms:

clear  well-defined

Word Origin:

As in Sense I: Middle English (1375-1425) from Latin nebulōsus, from nebula, cloud

Sense 2 dates from the 19th century

Use the Word in a Sentence: 

1.  Believing himself to be alone in the deserted old farmhouse, the nebulous shape coming towards him in the hall gave Jim the shock of his life. There was nothing for it but to turn tail and run.

2.  After listening for the best part of an hour to the CEO rambling nebulously about his plans to increase the productivity of the firm, few of the employees were any the wiser.

3.  Waking up in a hospital bed following the car accident, Mike’s memory of what happened was decidedly nebulous for several hours.

***

If you would like to join us in doing this weekly post, both Louise and I would be happy to see you. You can pick your own word and illustrate its use in any way you choose (even a short story) or use your chosen word to follow a similar pattern to our posts.

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter of the alphabet each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter M:

Part of Speech:

Verb (intransitive)

Meaning:

1.  Talk in a rambling, indistinct, incoherent or disconnected manner

2.  Move or act in a dreamy or idle manner; wander slowly and aimlessly

3. Grumble (chiefly British  to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely)

Pronunciation:

Morn-der   (UK)

maun·der  (US)

Audio Link:

MAUNDER

Related Forms:

Maunders verb (plural) and 3^rd person partciple

Maundering (adj)

Maundered (past participle)

Maundering (adj)

Maunderingly

Maunderer (n)

Synonyms:

ramble  prattle  prate  blather  blether  blither  drivel  rattle  chatter  jabber  gabble  babble slabber  gab  yak  yabber  yatter  rabbit  witter  waffle  natter  chunter  twaddle clack

Antonyms: 

crow  delight

Word Origin:

17th century (1622) in the meaning defined at  Sense 1, perhaps from the obsolete maunder, meaning to beg – from the Latin mendīcāre.

Use the Word in a Sentence: 

1. Miss Stevens carried the requested files into the office, as usual maundering about her aching back.

2. If this  man continued to maunder on for much longer, Charlie would have no other option than to tell him to his face that he bored the socks off people.

3.  Jane maundered across country fields for most of the day, trying to clear her mind of the humdrum that had become her everyday life.

***

If you would like to join us in doing this weekly post, both Louise and I would be happy to see you. You can pick your own word and illustrate its use in any way you choose (even a short story) or use your chosen word to follow a similar pattern to our posts.

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter of the alphabet each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter L:

Part of Speech:

Adjective

Meaning:

Looking or sounding sad and dismal, especially in an affected or exaggerated manner

Pronunciation:

loo-goo-bree-uhs    ((lʊˈɡuːbrɪəs)

Audio Link:

LUGUBRIOUS

Related Forms:

lugubriously (adverb)

lugubriousness and lugubriosity (nouns)

Synonyms:

sad  melancholy  morose  gloomy  dismal  pensive  doleful  mournful  dreary  serious  woeful  woebegone  sorrowful  depressing  unhappy  downhearted  glum  forlorn  crestfallen  downcast  funereal  brokenhearted  blue disconsolate  sombre  subdued  despondent

Antonyms: 

cheerful  joyful  bright  friendly cordial  cheery comforting cheering  festive  sunshiny

Word Origin:

Late 16th – early 17th century (1585 – 1605) from the Latin lugubris meaning mournful (from the Latin verb lugere: to mourn) + English ous

Use the Word in a Sentence: 

1. Ten-year-old Michael suddenly charged through the back door. ‘Mum, what’s the matter with Charlie? He looks really sad and miserable. Is he ill?’

‘No he isn’t – and don’t let that lugubrious face he pulls fool you. He’s just feeling sorry for himself because I caught him eating the cat’s food and chased him out. And he can jolly well stay there until I decide to forgive him.’

2. I’d waited for what seems like hours at a bus stop when a whole convoy of buses with the same destination arrived with lugubrious slowness.

3. The lugubriousness of the view that hit us as we rounded a bend caused a wave of sadness to wash over me. Could this neglected, derelict old  building really be the same pretty house of my childhood… a house that had once been filled with laughter and love?

‘Don’t worry, sweetheart,’ my husband said, smiling at me. ‘The house might look woefully lugubrious now, but the workmen I’ve hired will have it looking bright and cheerful before we know it, even on the gloomiest of days.’

***

If you would like to join us in doing this weekly post, both Louise and I would be happy to see you. You can pick of your own word and illustrate its use in any way you choose(even a short story) or use your chosen word to follow a similar pattern to our posts.

Weekly Word is a weekly post intended to illustrate the meaning and use of a single word. The chosen word will begin with a different letter of the alphabet each week, as Louise (my daughter) and I work our way through the alphabet.

Louise posts on her website:

An Enchanted Place

This week’s word begins with the letter K:

Meaning:

To spoil or destroy an idea or plan; stop from happening or developing (usually used in the phrase, to put the kibosh on); nonsense

Pronunciation:

kahy-bosh, ki-bosh

Audio Link:

kibosh

Part of Speech:

Noun

Related Forms:

Kibosh (transitive verb)

Kiboshes (3^rd person present)

Kiboshed (past tense and past participle)

Kiboshing (present participle/gerund)

Synonyms:

veto, halt, interfere with, stop, scotch, inhibit, prohibit, nip in the bud, put a stop to, disrupt, thwart, quash, curb, cancel, check, hamper, hobble, bring to an end

Antonyms: 

allow, permit, start, impel, give permission, propel

Word Origin:

First recorded in 1830–40; of obscure origin.

The following is from a number of sites including the Merriam Webster Dictionary:

Kibosh has been a part of the English language for almost two centuries, but its origin baffles etymologists. It was common in lower-class London speech and used by Dickens in 1836 in an early sketch. One source states that in early 19th century England,  colloquially, the phrase, to put the kibosh on meant ‘to castigate, overwhelm (a person or political party such as the Whigs, who were failing to outlaw flogging in the military). In this case, the origin of kibosh could have been the alteration or imitation of kurbash – a whip. There are several other possible origins of the word, amongst others one from Yiddish and one from Gaelic, but I won’t go into them all here. There are also a variety of spellings such as kibbosh, kybosh and kyebosk – all of unclear origin.

Use the Word in a Sentence: 

1. He put the kibosh on any plans his young daughter had made to attend the party with her new boyfriend.

2.  The presence of a large crowd was kiboshing the entire police operation.

3.  The unexpected downpour kiboshed their hopes of spending the afternoon picnicking in the park.

4.  ‘Write it out again when you’re fully awake,’ Mrs Henderson said after casting a critical eye over Monica’s application for promotion. ‘As it stands this is kibosh and won’t even get you an interview let alone the elevated position you want.’

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If you would like to join us in doing this weekly post, both Louise and I would be happy to see you. You can pick of your own word and illustrate its use in any way you choose(even a short story) or use your chosen word to follow a similar pattern to our posts.