kesselgarten

English

Alternative forms

• kessel garten, kesselgarden, kessel garden

Etymology

Originally from the accented pronunciation of the English name Castle Garden by Yiddish-speaking Eastern European Jewish people who immigrated to the United States through the busy, poorly-managed Castle Garden processing facility in the 19th century. Later generalized to refer to any similarly busy and chaotic situation.

Noun

kesselgarten (uncountable)

1. A noisy, confusing and chaotic situation
   • "American Yiddish commemorated this era of poor management with the term "kessel garten", meaning a crowded and disorderly place."O'Malley, Brendan P. (May 2015). Protecting the Stranger: The Origins of US Immigration Regulation in Nineteenth-Century New York, p. 262. City University of New York