chutzpah

Etymology

Originated 1890–95 from Yiddish חוצפּה (khutspe), from Mishnaic Hebrew חוֹצְפָּה (ḥôṣǝpâ) (Sotah 9:15 in MSS Kaufmann A50), from חָצַף (ḥāṣap̄, “to be insolent”). Ultimately from Aramaic חֲצִיפָא (ḥăṣîp̄āʾ), חֲצַף (ḥăṣap̄, “to be barefaced, insolent”).

noun

1. (informal) Nearly arrogant courage; utter audacity, effrontery or impudence; supreme self-confidence; exaggerated self-opinion.
   If the service is rotten and the meal a disaster, we should withhold a tip and explain why we are doing so. Few of us have the chutzpah to do this. 22-01-2007, Philip Howard, “Modern Manners”, in The Times
   But seriously, the ability to just come out and put on a placard that the Jurassic era is temporally contiguous with the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt — well, there’s a word for that, and that word is chutzpah. 12/11/2007, John Scalzi, “Your Creation Museum Report”, in Whatever