In an encounter between Madame duBarry and Antoinette in a hallway, duBarry uses the term "ZHUZH." The term, however, is of very recent origin. Zhuzh (also spelled zhoosh), a verb that means "to make (something) more lively, interesting, and stylish," is a fairly recent slang term, first appearing in the mid-1960s in gay communities in the U.K. in the sense "to improve the look of one's clothing or outfit"; its current, more general sense dates from the mid-1970s.
The source of zhuzh, as with most slang terms, is problematic: zhuzh may be purely onomatopoeic, representing the sound of someone rushing around; it may be from Polari, a kind of British slang derived largely from Italian and used since the 18th century among theatrical and circus performers and in some gay and lesbian communities; finally, zhuzh may be from Romani zhouzhou "clean, neat."
The source of zhuzh, as with most slang terms, is problematic: zhuzh may be purely onomatopoeic, representing the sound of someone rushing around; it may be from Polari, a kind of British slang derived largely from Italian and used since the 18th century among theatrical and circus performers and in some gay and lesbian communities; finally, zhuzh may be from Romani zhouzhou "clean, neat."