kickshaw
/'kikʃɔ:/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A fancy or elaborate dish, especially a delicacy: A "kickshaw" refers to a choice or dainty food item, often one that is considered fancy, elaborate, or exotic. It can carry a connotation of being showy or frivolous rather than substantial. 2. A trinket or trifle; a showy but trivial object: By extension, "kickshaw" can describe any small, decorative, or trivial object, often implying it is of little real value or importance.
Usage
- The word "kickshaw" is now considered archaic or literary. It is rarely used in modern, everyday English.
- When referring to food, it often carries a slightly disparaging or dismissive tone, suggesting the dish is overly fancy, foreign, or insubstantial.
- It is used as a countable noun.
Examples
- Noun (Food):
- The banquet table was laden with all manner of exotic kickshaws from distant lands.
- He turned his nose up at the simple stew, preferring the delicate kickshaws prepared by the French chef.
- Noun (Object):
- Her room was filled with little kickshaws she had collected from her travels—pretty but useless.
- It's not a serious tool, just a decorative kickshaw for the shelf.
Advanced Usage
- The term originates from the French phrase , meaning "something." Its use in English to mean a fancy delicacy reflects a historical view of French cuisine as elaborate and sophisticated, sometimes viewed with suspicion or mockery.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe an idea or concept that is showy but lacks substance.
- His latest theory is merely an intellectual kickshaw, elegant but unsupported by evidence.
Variants and Related Words
- Kickshaws (plural): The standard plural form.
- Kickshawry (noun, archaic): A collective term for fancy dishes or delicacies.
Synonyms
- Delicacy: A choice or expensive food item.
- Dainty: A small, delicate, and often delicious piece of food.
- Tidbit: A small and particularly interesting item of food or news.
- Trifle: Something of little value or importance; can also be a dessert.
- Bauble: A small, showy trinket or decoration.
- Gewgaw: A showy ornament or trinket, typically cheap.
Antonyms
- Staple: A basic or essential food item.
- Substantial meal: A filling and hearty dish.
- Essential: Something fundamental and necessary.
Idioms and Phrases
- While not a common component of modern idioms, the word itself often functions with an idiomatic sense of frivolity. A phrase like "mere kickshaws" encapsulates its dismissive meaning.
- He dismissed the elaborate desserts as mere kickshaws, unworthy of a true feast.
Noun
- something considered choice to eat