Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
kitbag question. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
kitbag question, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
kitbag question in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
kitbag question you have here. The definition of the word
kitbag question will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
kitbag question, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Calque of Hebrew שְׁאֵלַת קִיטְבֶּג (she'elat kitbeg). An apocryphal tale of the term's origin involves a squad of soldiers in the Israeli Army:[1]
A commander tells the soldiers, "We're going on a 5 mile run". And some dip asks, "Do we have to bring our kitbags?" At which point, the answer is yes. It wouldn't have been if the soldier hadn't asked the question.
The story is retold with some variation, but always involving a commander telling a subordinate soldier to run with his kitbag.
Pronunciation
Noun
kitbag question (plural kitbag questions)
- (humorous) A question which causes a disadvantage to the asker simply by virtue of being asked.
1996 January 21, Vernon Everett, “copywrited kenders”, in rec.games.frp.dnd (Usenet):I think the original question was a stupid one in the first place. What we in army used to call a "kit-bag question"
2002 January 13, Lisa, “Homosexuality unnatural? Was Re: Taliban-like extremists”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated (Usenet):Find me something assur, and if I want an exception made, I'll ask a shayla. Find me something ambiguous, and if I want clarification made, I'll ask a shayla. I'm not about to go around asking kitbag questions.
2006, Jeffrey Goldberg, Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, pages 94–95:One of my friends, dizzy with fatigue, asked him if we needed to bring the squad's jerry-cans with us on the long march to the exercise. "Yes," Evgeny said, smiling wickedly. "Bring the jerry-cans."
At that moment we could have committed murder. My friend had asked a classic Israeli army "kitbag" question—the entirely unnecessary question that only serves to make things worse. Only a schlemiel asks a kitbag question.
2007 June 1, Philologos, “The Kitbag Question”, in The Forward, archived from the original on 2022-07-01:In Yiddish, a kitbag question is known as a klots-kashe, or "klutz question," our English "klutz" coming from Yiddish klots, a block of wood.
References
- ^ Lisa Beth (2001 January 1) “Question of Conversion”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated (Usenet)
Further reading