caboodle
UK[kəˈbuːd(ə)l]US[kəˈbuːd(ə)l]
n
A collection or group of things or people, often used in the phrase "the whole kit and caboodle."
Etymology
The word 'caboodle' emerged in the mid-1800s, likely as a playful, rhyming extension of the slightly older slang term 'boodle.' 'Boodle' entered American English from the Dutch word 'boedel,' signifying possessions or capital. The prefix 'ca-' has no independent meaning but was added to create a more emphatic, colloquial sound, leading to the compound phrase "the whole kit and caboodle," where 'kit' refers to a set of equipment and 'caboodle' reinforces the sense of an entire collection. Thus, its journey reflects the informal, inventive nature of slang, transforming a Dutch legal term for property into a vivid idiom for "everything."
Analysis
The word 'caboodle' is a 19th-century American English formation. It is considered a fanciful alteration or reduplication of 'boodle,' which itself is from Dutch 'boedel' meaning "property, estate."
Examples
When we moved, we packed up the whole kit and caboodle.
She decided to sell the business, the property, the whole caboodle.
Don't worry about sorting it; just bring the entire caboodle.