Put the kibosh on

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Meaning

Stop, suppress, or bring an activity or plan to an end.

Origin

The phrase emerged in working-class London slang around 1830 and is securely in print by 1834-35, including an early use by Charles Dickens. Its deeper etymology remains disputed. A detailed modern proposal derives kibosh from kurbash, a Turkish or Arabic-derived word for a whip, and some early contexts support a progression from literal beating to putting a stop to something. Major dictionaries still list the origin as unknown because the sound changes and route into London speech are not fully resolved. Irish death-cap, Hebrew, and Yiddish stories lack adequate evidence.

Research Sources

  1. kibosh / put the kibosh on Wordorigins.org
  2. kibosh Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
  3. Unable to Put the Kibosh on a Hard Word Oxford University Press Blog

Variants

  • Put the kybosh on
  • Put the kyebosh on

Usage Examples

  • A shortage of steel put the kibosh on the bridge project for the rest of the year.
  • The licensing panel put the kibosh on plans for an all-night venue.
  • One failed safety test was enough to put the kybosh on the launch.

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