Forms: α. sing. 6–8 (in 7 pl.) quelque chose; pl. 7 quelque(s)-, quelk-, kick-choses, quelque choices; kicke-shoses, -chawses. β. pl. 6–7 kickshawes, 7 kick-shose, -shoes, -showes, -shores, -shews, -chawes, (quick-chaws); kek-, kecshose, ke(c)k-, queck-shoes; 7– kickshaws. γ. sing. 7– kickshaw. [ad. F. quelque chose something.
The original Fr. spelling was frequent in the 17th c., but the commonest forms follow the pronunciation que’que chose formerly regarded as elegant, and still current in colloquial French. The word was sometimes correctly taken as sing., with plural -choses, etc.; more commonly it was treated as a pl., and a sing. kickshaw afterwards formed from it.]
1. A fancy dish in cookery. (Chiefly with contemptuous force: A ‘something’ French, not one of the known ‘substantial English’ dishes.)
α. 1598. Florio, Carabozzada, a kinde of daintie dish or quelque chose vsed in Italie.
1611. Cotgr., Fricandeaux, short, skinlesse, and daintie puddings, or Quelkchoses.
1612. Dekker, If it be not Good, Wks. 1873, II. 285. Ile teach … to make caudels, Iellies … cowslip sallads, and kickchoses.
1642. Featly, Dippers Dipt (1645), 199. I made bold to set on the board kicke-shoses, and variety of strange fruits.
1655. Moufet & Bennet, Health’s Improv. (1746), 366. Over curious Cookery, making … quelque-choses of unsavoury … Meat.
1655. E. Terry, Voy. E. Ind. (1665), 408. With these quelque chose, was that entertainment made up.
a. 1656. Bp. Hall, Rem. Wks. (1660), 4. Longing after fine quelque choices of new and artificial composition.
β. 1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., VI. i. 29 (Qo. 1). A ioynt of Mutton, and any pretty little tinie Kick-shawes.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., II. iii. II. (1651), 319. That scarce at first had course bread to fill his hungry guts, must now feed on kickshoes and made dishes.
1709. Addison, Tatler, No. 148, ¶ 10. That substantial English Dish banished in so ignominious a Manner, to make Way for French Kickshaws.
1824. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. I. (1863), 195. The kickshaws were half raw, the solids were mere rags.
1874. Helps, Soc. Press., xiii. 187. You have a nice cut of wholesome leg of mutton … none of your made dishes and kickshaws.
γ. 1674. trans. Scheffer’s Lapland, xviii. 92. Another kickshaw that pleaseth them very much they make of Angelica.
1714. J. Macky, Journ. Eng. (1724), II. xvi. 227. They go to a Cooks Shop, and ask for a Kickshaw.
1840. Thackeray, G. Cruikshank, 22. Monsieur the Chef is instructing a kitchen-maid how to compound some rascally French kickshaw or the other.
fig. 1653. Gauden, Hierasp., 63. Dished up to the mode of Familistick hashes, and Socinians … Keckshoes. Ibid. (1659), Tears Ch., II. xix. 204. Enough … of these late Hashshes, Olives, and Queckshoes of Religion.
2. Something dainty or elegant, but unsubstantial or comparatively valueless; a toy, trifle, gew-gaw. In 1654 applied to a person.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., I. iii. 122. A. I delight in Maskes and Reuels sometimes altogether. T. Art thou good at these kicke-chawses Knight?
a. 1626. Fletcher, Nice Valour, IV. i. At my wives’ instigation … (As women loue these Heralds’ kickshawes naturally) I bought ’em.
1654. in Ludlow’s Mem. (1894), I. 382. You … may think he had power, but they made a very kickshaw of him in London.
1722–3. Swift, in Pope’s Wks. (1871), VII. 36. Has he [Pope] some quelque chose of his own upon the anvil?
1823. Scott, in Four C. Eng. Lett., 403. He may be desirous of offering some test of his gratitude in the shape of a reprint, or such like kickshaw.
1886. E. L. Bynner, A. Surriage, xxxi. 378. Go buy some kickshaws to send home to your mother.
3. A fantastical, frivolous person. Obs. exc. dial.
1644. Milton, Educ., ad fin. The Monsieurs of Paris to take our hopeful Youth … and send them over back again transformed into Mimicks, Apes, and Kickshoes.
a. 1656. Ussher, Ann. (1658), 708. Xuthus a musitian, Metrodorus a dancer, and all the Asian comicks and kickshaws crept into the Court.
1828. Craven Dial. Kickshaw, a proud, vain person.
4. attrib. as adj. Frivolous, trifling.
1658. Sir T. Mayerne, Archimag. Anglo-Gall., Pref. 4. The Kick-shaw Language, which these Chamæleon-Times love to feede on.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel, e iv a. Waving all quick-chaws-like-devices.
1778. Miss Burney, Evelina, xix. (1784), 127. It’s all kickshaw work.
1870. Dickens, E. Drood, xii. He sang … no kickshaw ditties.
Hence Kickshawed a., consisting of or treated with kickshaws.
1622. H. Sydenham, Serm. Sol. Occ. (1637), 111. Beware then of this … kick-shawed luxury.
1862. A. Vance, trans. Hist. Jehan de Saintré, Introd. 29. Good … reading … risen at of our greasy palates as is plum porridge of a kickshawed stomach.
