• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / What does the phrase “the whole kit and caboodle” mean and Where did it originate?

What does the phrase “the whole kit and caboodle” mean and Where did it originate?

July 2, 2020 by Karen Hill

In its entirety, the phrase “the whole kit and caboodle” is American; it is a somewhat more refined expression than the earlier, “the whole kit and bilin’.”

Both forms mean lock, stock, and barrel; the whole lot, omitting nothing. But “the whole kit” is plain English, the entire outfit; the whole lot, either of things or persons.

“Bilin’,” of course, was corrupted from “boiling,” which meant a seething mass, especially of persons; so “the whole kit and bilin’ ” originally meant the entire group of people and their equipment. Later it was limited to define just all the people in a group.

But along with the common expression, “the whole kit and bilin’,” there was a more refined American phrase, “the whole kit and boodle,” for “boodle” was apparently Americanized from the Dutch word boedel, property, estate, goods. And just because we like to have alliteration in our speech, someone tried to put a “k” before “boodle,” giving us, “the whole kit and caboodle.”

By the way, it was this same Dutch word, corrupted to “boodle” also, that was later used in a sinister sense to mean money, money acquired by graft or bribery.

Related Facts

  • How did the phrase "Rule of Thumb" originate and did it mean the Maximum Thickness of a Stick a Man could use to Beat his Wife?
  • How Did the Phrase "I'll Be Hanged If I Do and Hanged If I Don't" Originate and What Does the Expression Mean?
  • How Did the Expression "Rise and Shine" Originate and What Does the Phrase "Shake a Leg" Mean?
  • What Does the Expression "Spick and Span" Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?
  • What does the phrase "hue and cry" mean and Where did it originate?
  • How Did the Expression "Having Kittens" Originate for a Hysterical Woman and What Does the Phrase Mean?
  • What Does the Expression "Second String" Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?
  • What Does the Expression "Duking it Out" Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?
  • How Did the Expression "Turn the Tables" Originate and What Does the Phrase Mean?
  • What Does the Expression "Lame Duck" Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate For Politicians?
  • What Does the Term "Sea Change" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Originate?
  • What Does the Expression "Passed the Bar" Mean and How Did the Phrase Originate?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What does the expression “to upset the apple cart” mean and Where does it come from?
Next Post: Where does the expression “holding the bag” come from and What does it mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy