Kit and CaboodleKit and Caboodle : PhrasesMeaning: The whole thing Example: His new job has all the perks, corner office, fat salary, pretty secretary... the whole kit and caboodle. Origin: Kit and caboodle is a phrase that evolved over time. Most recently from the earlier phrase kit and boodle. Boodle (or Buddle) is an old word, and probably evolved from the Dutch boedel meaning a crowd or bunch. The whole boodle was heard as long ago as the early 19th century. Kit is also a time honored word with many meanings, one of which is a collection of tools or possessions that a person might carry with them. The whole kit was used by 1785. Caboodle is essentially a nonsense word, and is perhaps a contraction or rhyme of kit and boodle. Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage contains it: Of course it might happen that the hull (whole) kit and boodle might start and run, if any big fighting came first-off. There you have it, the whole kit and caboodle. Phrases Index
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