Excerpt from Contested Etymologies: In the Dictionary of the Rev. W. W. Skeat
Akimbo. - Professor Skeat, in his Appendix, gives up the derivation from on-eam-bow, zie., literally, in-a-bend-bend, in favour of the Icel. Keng-bogz’fm, bent into the form of a staple, crooked, from kengr, a staple, bend, bight. But this word does not appear ever to have been applied to the posi tion of the arms in the sense of akz’mbo, and it is extremely difficult to suppose that such a word could have been caught up out of Icel. Or Norse into E., and used exclusively in a special application which it never had in its native language. Moreover, the derivation does not agree with the form aleem boll, vouched by Cotgrave and Torriano. Se quarrir, to square it, carry’his arms akem o/a - Anse, the handle or ear of a pot, cup, &c. Les bras courb s en anse, with arms akembo - Cot’. With arms set on bemboll, le braccia in croce. - Torr. 1677250, or kembow, and kezzebow might well be developed out of kembo/z, but hardly the converse.
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