Much like “peanut butter and jelly” or “do’s and don’ts,” some English words are forever intertwined. These paired phrases are called “binomial expressions” — they consist of two terms, often joined by “and” or “or,” and the order of the terms is almost always fixed. Think of “black and white,” “more or less,” or “safe and sound.” Those classic binomial expressions use familiar words, but the phrase “kit and caboodle” — meaning “a number of things considered as a unit” — spotlights a word that is almost exclusively used as a part of this expression.
Let’s talk about each individual component. According to Merriam-Webster, “kit” has a wide array of meanings, all of which largely refer to a collection or set of individual components (e.g., tools, parts). “Caboodle” has a very similar definition, meaning “all the things of a group.” Essentially, the terms are synonyms and now exist as two similar parts of one common phrase.
Gary Martin of the blog Phrase Finder notes that many similar phrases existed prior to “the whole kit and caboodle” being coined. For instance, “the whole kit” referred to the contents of a soldier’s knapsack no later than 1785. The Online Etymology Dictionary adds that the phrase “the whole kit and boodle” was in use by 1855 — “boodle” meaning “lot, collection,” which is perhaps derived from the Dutch boedel, meaning “property.”
It was only in the late 19th century that “the whole kit and caboodle” rose to prominence as a popular phrase in the United States. “Caboodle” most likely came from the word “boodle,” as its use appeared after “boodle” in the late 19th century. It’s likely that “kit” and “caboodle” were paired phonetically because of their similar “K”- sounds, which helped the phrase become popular and stick around to this day.
People who grew up in the early-to-mid-1990s might remember “Caboodles” as the name of a popular, brightly colored plastic makeup and accessory case — imagine a Crayola-colored tackle box. The folks who invented the product must have been familiar with the etymology, as it fits well with the original usage.
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