Dictionary

kitbag question en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɪtbæɡ ˈkwɛstʃən/
• (General-American) audio

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: 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.

Meanings

1. (humorous) A question which causes a disadvantage to the asker and third parties simply by virtue of being asked.
   • 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. 2007 June 1, Philologos, “The Kitbag Question”, in The Forward, archived from the original on 01 Jul 2022:
   • 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. 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:
   • I think the original question was a stupid one in the first place. What we in army used to call a "kit-bag question" 1996 January 21, Vernon Everett, “copywrited kenders”, in rec.games.frp.dnd (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. 2002 January 13, Lisa, “Homosexuality unnatural? Was Re: Taliban-like extremists”, in soc.culture.jewish.moderated (Usenet):

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