Etymology Dictionary

KICKSHAWS,  a delicacy, fantastical dish.  (F.,—L.)   'Any pretty little tiny kickshaws;' 2 Hen. IV, v. 1. 29.   The pl. is kickshawses.   'Art thou good at these kickshawses?' Twelfth Nt. i. 3. 122.   At a later time, kickshaws was incorrectly regarded as being a pl. form.   Kickshaws is a curious corruption of F. quelque chose, lit. something, hence, a trifle, small delicacy.   This can be abundantly proved by quotations.   'Fricandeaux, short, skinlesse, and dainty puddings, or quelkchoses, made of good flesh and herbs chopped together, then rolled up into the form of liverings, &c., and so boiled;' Cotgrave's F. Dict.   'I made bold to set on the board kickeshoses, and variety of strange fruits;' Featley, Dippers Dipt, ed. 1645, p. 199 (Todd).   'Fresh salmon, and French kickshose;' Milton, Animadversions upon Remonstrant's Defence (R.)   'Nor shall we then need the monsieurs of Paris... to send [our youth] over back again transformed into mimicks, apes, and kicshoes;' Milton, Treatise on Education (Todd).   'As for French kickshaws, Cellery, and Champaign, Ragous, and Fricasees in truth we've none;' Rochester, Works, 1777, p. 143.   'Some foolish French quelquechose, I warrant you.   Quelquechose! oh! ignorance in supreme perfection!   He means a kek shose!' Dryden, Kind Keeper, A. iii. sc. 1.—F. quelque chose, something.—Lat. qual-is, of what kind, with suffix -quam; and causa, a cause, thing.   Qualis answers to E. which; quam is fem. acc. of qui, answering to E. who.   See Which, Who, and Cause.