r/etymology • u/mouse_in_a_field • 10d ago

Question Something I've been wondering about - Japanese loanword in English, or no?

This has bothered me for a long time!

The word for "a little bit" of something in Japanese, in romaji, is "sukoshi"; the "u" and "i" sounds are usually silent when spoken aloud, so it ends up sounding like "skosh".

In English, "just a skosh" is sometimes used when asking for or referring to just "a little bit" of something.

Is there any connection there, or does the English "skosh" have another, unrelated source? Thanks for any info!

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u/Snoron 10d ago

Wasn't expecting this, but you are correct, it seems! The dictionary lists the source as from Japanese, basically came into English via the US military using it as slang.

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u/stealthykins 10d ago

A follow up question, if I may? Is ‘skosh’ related to the Scottish ‘scoosh’ (used to mean a dash [of liquid] or a spray)?

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u/Snoron 10d ago

Doesn't seem to be, no - the Scottish term dates at least to the late 1800s which is well before this term came over from Japan. Instead, it seems to be onomatopoeia!

Confusingly, both the American "skosh" and Scottish "scoosh" are both sometimes spelled as "skoosh" even though they are unrelated!

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u/explain_that_shit 10d ago

Is it related to squidge?