kickshaw

noun

kick·​shaw ˈkik-ˌshȯ 

1

: a fancy dish : delicacy

2

: trinket, gewgaw

Did you know?

Kickshaw began its career in the late 16th century as a borrowing from the French quelque chose - literally, "something." In line with the French pronunciation of the day, the "l" was dropped and the word was anglicized as "kickshaws" or "kickshoes." English speakers soon lost all consciousness of the word’s French origin and, by taking "kickshaws" as plural, created the new singular noun "kickshaw."

Synonyms

• bauble
• bibelot
• curio
• curiosity
• doodad
• gaud
• gewgaw
• geegaw
• gimcrack
• knickknack
• nicknack
• novelty
• ornamental
• tchotchke
• trinket

Examples of kickshaw in a Sentence

a display case in the antiques shop filled with costume jewelry and various kickshaws from the 1920s

the company's holiday party always features an array of artfully confected kickshaws

Word History

Etymology

by folk etymology from French quelque chose something

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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