K Kine-Ahora Meanings: • "Don't talk about it" "[Clint Eastwood] was asked about the possibility of [Oscar] nominations for his flick [Mystic River]. He responded, 'Kineahora! Kineahora!' The [USA Weekend] reporter retorted, 'Pardon?' Eastwood said, 'That's a Jewish expression meaning 'Don't talk about it. It's bad luck.'" -- Nate Bloom, Jewish News Weekly (2004) • "May you be spared the evil eye" Origins: Kine-ahora is a Yiddish expression. It combines the German "no" with the Hebrew "evil eye."10 Facts: This is a magic phrase to ward off bad luck: "We knock on wood or utter the magical phrase kine-ahora . . ."11 Variations and Incantations: • Kin Ahora • Kineahora • Kineahora poo-poo-poo -- Jessica Coen, Gawker.com (2005) In Literature: • "Her mother would call it hexing yourself; Robin would say it was 'giving yourself a kine-ahora.'" -- Paula Martinac, Home Movies (199 ) • "Rose spat into her hand. 'Kine-ahora, don't say such a thing, don't even think such a thing to yourself." -- Marge Piercy, Gone to Soldiers (1987) King Origins: The word king is of Germanic origin and signifies a ruler or person of supreme importance. In Literature: • "[C]alled forth by the magic word 'king,' the Open Sesame word." -- Ruth Rendell, Road Rage (1997) 10 Helen Stavropoulos Sandoval, "Yiddish for Jews," New Bridges Newsletter (1999) 11 Althea J. Horner, Working with the Core Relationship Problem in Psychotherapy (1998)