What does cosher mean?
Cosher is an informal, chiefly British verb meaning to pamper or indulge someone solicitously, typically by feeding them generously or fussing over their comfort. It most often appears in the phrase 'cosher up', as in being coshered up with home cooking during a visit or convalescence. The word carries a warm, affectionate connotation — it suggests kindly, grandmotherly indulgence rather than excessive spoiling, though it can be used teasingly of someone mollycoddled. Its origins lie in early seventeenth-century Ireland, where 'coshering' described the custom by which a chieftain entertained his followers or dependants with rounds of feasting; the sense shifted gradually from providing hospitality to general indulgent care. Though never widespread in formal English, cosher endures in regional speech and adds a cosy, distinctly domestic flavour to descriptions of care and comfort.
To pamper or indulge someone solicitously, especially by feeding them well or looking after them lavishly.
"He spent the weekend being coshered by his mother."
Most common in informal British and Irish usage, frequently in the phrase 'cosher up'.
(Historical) A feast or round of entertainment given to followers or tenants; also, provisions taken on such occasions.
"The chieftain's annual cosher drew followers from across the province."
This historical sense is now obsolete.
Applies only to the rare historical noun sense referring to feasts or entertainments; the word is overwhelmingly used as a verb today.
"The records mention several coshers held by the clan each year."
Before it meant pampering, 'coshering' literally meant throwing a feast — an old Irish custom of entertaining a chief's followers with rounds of banquets.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cosher
Cosher derives from the Irish word 'cóisir', meaning a feast or entertainment, and entered English in the early seventeenth century. It originally referred to the practice of 'coshering', in which Irish chieftains maintained and entertained their followers with feasts held on their lands. Over time the meaning softened from formal hospitality to the modern sense of pampering or indulging someone, especially with food.
How cosher is actually used
The word is chiefly British, informal, and somewhat regional or dated in flavour; it survives most often in the phrase 'cosher up', particularly in northern English and Scottish usage. It carries a warmly affectionate connotation of fussing over someone with food and comfort.
Easily confused with cosher
Kosher describes food prepared according to Jewish dietary law (or something legitimate), while cosher is a chiefly dialectal verb meaning to pamper or indulge someone.