Kickshaw

kickshaw a word derived from the French quelque chose and meaning a fancy dish, a ‘little something’. In the 16th century the term denoted an ‘elegant, dainty dish’, but later it was often used in a derogatory sense. Thus Addison, writing in the Tatler in 1709, referred to ‘That Substantial English Dish banished in so ignominious a manner, to make way for French Kick-shaws’. On the other hand, Hannah glasse (1747), although she professed to be generally and hotly opposed to what she called ‘French Tricks’, gave a straightforward recipe for Kickshaws; in this instance small fruit pies.