kickshaw

[ kik-shaw ]

/ ˈkɪkˌʃɔ /

noun

a tidbit or delicacy, especially one served as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.

something showy but without value; trinket; trifle.

Nearby words

Origin of kickshaw

1590–1600; back formation from kickshaws < French quelque chose something (by folk etymology)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for kickshaw

Absolutely everybody seemed to be lunching at Kickshaw's yesterday!
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, Apr 2, 1919|Various
Andover, knowing her, imagined that she had been refused some kickshaw, and thought no more about it.
The Black Moth|Georgette Heyer
Notwithstanding the comforting assurances of Kickshaw, I felt considerably nervous.
Tales from "Blackwood," Volume 2|Various
Put about a cup of ale, is this not better than your foolish French kickshaw claret.
The Anglo-French Entente in the Seventeenth Century|Charles Bastide

British Dictionary definitions for kickshaw

kickshaw

kickshaws

/ (ˈkɪkˌʃɔː) /

noun

a valueless trinket

archaic a small elaborate or exotic delicacy

Word Origin for kickshaw

C16: back formation from kickshaws, by folk etymology from French quelque chose something

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for kickshaw

kickshaw

late 16c., "a fancy dish in cookery" (especially a non-native one), from English pronunciation of French quelque chose "a something, a little something."