The Yiddish language is a wonderful
source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment (and of course,
complaints and insults). This article is a follow up on Ten Yiddish
Expressions You Should Know. Jewish scriptwriters introduced many
Yiddish words into popular culture, which often changed the original meanings
drastically. You might be surprised to learn how much Yiddish you already
speak, but also, how many familiar words actually mean something different in
real Yiddish.
A good homemaker, a woman who’s in charge of her home and will make sure you
remember it.
Or bisl – a little bit.
Or bobe. It means Grandmother, and bobeshi is the
more affectionate form. Bubele is a similarly affectionate
word, though it isn’t in Yiddish dictionaries.
Not a word for polite company. Bubkes or bobkes may
be related to the Polish word for “beans”, but it really means “goat droppings”
or “horse droppings.” It’s often used by American Jews for “trivial, worthless,
useless, a ridiculously small amount” – less than nothing, so to speak. “After
all the work I did, I got bupkes!”
Or khutspe. Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In
English,chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but among
Yiddish speakers, it is not a compliment.
An expression of disgust or disapproval, representative of the sound of
spitting.
Or glitsh. Literally “slip,” “skate,” or “nosedive,” which was the
origin of the common American usage as “a minor problem or error.”
More polite than bupkes, and also implies a strong sense of
nothing; used in phrases such as “gornisht helfn” (beyond help).
A non-Jew, a Gentile. As in Hebrew, one Gentile is a goy, many Gentiles are
goyim, the non-Jewish world in general is “the goyim.” Goyish is
the adjective form. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich is goyish.
Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich on white bread is even more goyish.
In Yiddish, it’s spelled kibets, and it’s related to the Hebrew
“kibbutz” or “collective.” But it can also mean verbal joking, which after all
is a collective activity. It didn’t originally mean giving unwanted advice
about someone else’s game – that’s an American innovation.
Or better yet, klots. Literally means “a block of wood,” so it’s
often used for a dense, clumsy or awkward person. See schlemiel.
Something that’s acceptable to Orthodox Jews, especially food. Other Jews may
also “eat kosher” on some level but are not required to. Food that Orthodox
Jews don’t eat – pork, shellfish, etc. – is called traif. An
observant Jew might add, “Both pork and shellfish are doubtlessly very tasty. I
simply am restricted from eating it.” In English, when you hear something that
seems suspicious or shady, you might say, “That doesn’t sound kosher.”
In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine or fret,”
but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,”
like a wrong-sized shoe. Reminds you of certain chronic complainers, doesn’t
it? But it’s also used on Yiddish web pages for “click” (Click Here).
Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically.
Or mazltof. Literally “good luck,” (well, literally, “good
constellation”) but it’s a congratulation for what just happened, not a hopeful
wish for what might happen in the future. When someone gets married or has a
child or graduates from college, this is what you say to them. It can also be
used sarcastically to mean “it’s about time,” as in “It’s about time you
finished school and stopped sponging off your parents.”
An honorable, decent person, an authentic person, a person who helps you when
you need help. Can be a man, woman or child.
Insanity or craziness. A meshugener is a crazy man. If you
want to insult someone, you can ask them, ”Does it hurt to be crazy?”
Or mishpokhe or mishpucha. It means “family,” as
in “Relax, you’re mishpocheh. I’ll sell it to you at wholesale.”
Or nash. To nibble; a light snack, but you won’t be light if you
don’t stop noshing. Can also describe plagarism, though not always in a bad
sense; you know, picking up little pieces for yourself.
A general word that calls for a reply. It can mean, “So?” “Huh?” “Well?”
“What’s up?” or “Hello?”
Exclamation of dismay, grief, or exasperation. The phrase “oy vey iz mir” means
“Oh, woe is me.” “Oy gevalt!” is like oy vey, but expresses fear, shock or
amazement. When you realize you’re about to be hit by a car, this expression
would be appropriate.
Or plats. Literally, to explode, as in aggravation. “Well, don’t
plotz!” is similar to “Don’t have a stroke!” or “Don’t have a cow!” Also used
in expressions such as, “Oy, am I tired; I just ran the four-minute mile. I
could just plotz.” That is, collapse.
It means “deep peace,” and isn’t that a more meaningful greeting than “Hi, how
are ya?”
To drag, traditionally something you don’t really need; to carry unwillingly.
When people “shlep around,” they are dragging themselves, perhaps slouchingly.
On vacation, when I’m the one who ends up carrying the heavy suitcase I begged
my wife to leave at home, I shlep it.
A clumsy, inept person, similar to a klutz (also a Yiddish word). The kind of
person who always spills his soup.
Cheap, shoddy, or inferior, as in, “I don’t know why I bought this schlocky
souvenir.”
Someone with constant bad luck. When the shlemiel spills his soup, he probably
spills it on the shlimazel. Fans of the TV sitcom “Laverne and Shirley”
remember these two words from the Yiddish-American hopscotch chant that opened
each show.
A jerk, a stupid person, popularized in The Last Unicorn and Welcome
Back Kotter.
Excessively sentimental, gushing, flattering, over-the-top, corny. This word
describes some of Hollywood’s most famous films. From shmaltz,
which means chicken fat or grease.
Chat, make small talk, converse about nothing in particular. But at Hollywood
parties, guests often schmooze with people they want to impress.
Often used as an insulting word for a self-made fool, but you shouldn’t use it
in polite company at all, since it refers to male anatomy.
A long, involved sales pitch, as in, “I had to listen to his whole spiel before
I found out what he really wanted.” From the German word forplay.
A non-Jewish woman, all too often used derogatorily. It has the connotation of
“young and beautiful,” so referring to a man’s Gentile wife or girlfriend as
a shiksa implies that his primary attraction was her good
looks. She is possibly blonde. A shagetz or sheygets means
a non-Jewish boy, and has the connotation of a someone who is unruly, even
violent.
Or shmuts. Dirt – a little dirt, not serious grime. If a little boy
has shmutz on his face, and he likely will, his mother will quickly wipe it
off. It can also mean dirty language. It’s not nice to talk shmutz about
shmutz. A current derivation, “schmitzig,” means a “thigamabob” or a “doodad,”
but has nothing to do with filth.
Something you’re known for doing, an entertainer’s routine, an actor’s bit,
stage business; a gimmick often done to draw attention to yourself.
Or tshatshke. Knick-knack, little toy, collectible or giftware. It
also appears in sentences such as, “My brother divorced his wife for some
little tchatchke.” You can figure that one out.
Or tsores. Serious troubles, not minor annoyances. Plagues of lice,
gnats, flies, locusts, hail, death… now, those were tsuris.
Rear end, bottom, backside, buttocks. In proper Yiddish, it’s spelledtuchis or tuches or tokhis,
and was the origin of the American slang wordtush.
Female busybody or gossip. At one time, high-class parents gave this name to
their girls (after all, it has the same root as “gentle”), but it gained the
Yiddish meaning of “she-devil”. The matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof” was
named Yente (and she certainly was a yente though maybe not
very high-class), so many people mistakenly think that yente means
matchmaker.
Smart person. Literally means “Jewish head.” I don’t want to know whatgoyisher
kop means.
Links
Yiddish Language and
Culture – history of Yiddish, alphabet, literature, theater, music,
etc.
Grow A Brain Yiddish
Archive – the Beatles in Yiddish, the Yiddish Hillbillies, the
Pirates of Penzance in Yiddish, etc.
A good homemaker, a woman who’s in charge of her home and will make sure you remember it.
Or bisl – a little bit.
Or bobe. It means Grandmother, and bobeshi is the more affectionate form. Bubele is a similarly affectionate word, though it isn’t in Yiddish dictionaries.
Not a word for polite company. Bubkes or bobkes may be related to the Polish word for “beans”, but it really means “goat droppings” or “horse droppings.” It’s often used by American Jews for “trivial, worthless, useless, a ridiculously small amount” – less than nothing, so to speak. “After all the work I did, I got bupkes!”
Or khutspe. Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In English,chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but among Yiddish speakers, it is not a compliment.
An expression of disgust or disapproval, representative of the sound of spitting.
Or glitsh. Literally “slip,” “skate,” or “nosedive,” which was the origin of the common American usage as “a minor problem or error.”
More polite than bupkes, and also implies a strong sense of nothing; used in phrases such as “gornisht helfn” (beyond help).
A non-Jew, a Gentile. As in Hebrew, one Gentile is a goy, many Gentiles are goyim, the non-Jewish world in general is “the goyim.” Goyish is the adjective form. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich is goyish. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich on white bread is even more goyish.
In Yiddish, it’s spelled kibets, and it’s related to the Hebrew “kibbutz” or “collective.” But it can also mean verbal joking, which after all is a collective activity. It didn’t originally mean giving unwanted advice about someone else’s game – that’s an American innovation.
Or better yet, klots. Literally means “a block of wood,” so it’s often used for a dense, clumsy or awkward person. See schlemiel.
Something that’s acceptable to Orthodox Jews, especially food. Other Jews may also “eat kosher” on some level but are not required to. Food that Orthodox Jews don’t eat – pork, shellfish, etc. – is called traif. An observant Jew might add, “Both pork and shellfish are doubtlessly very tasty. I simply am restricted from eating it.” In English, when you hear something that seems suspicious or shady, you might say, “That doesn’t sound kosher.”
In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine or fret,” but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,” like a wrong-sized shoe. Reminds you of certain chronic complainers, doesn’t it? But it’s also used on Yiddish web pages for “click” (Click Here).
Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically.
Or mazltof. Literally “good luck,” (well, literally, “good constellation”) but it’s a congratulation for what just happened, not a hopeful wish for what might happen in the future. When someone gets married or has a child or graduates from college, this is what you say to them. It can also be used sarcastically to mean “it’s about time,” as in “It’s about time you finished school and stopped sponging off your parents.”
An honorable, decent person, an authentic person, a person who helps you when you need help. Can be a man, woman or child.
Insanity or craziness. A meshugener is a crazy man. If you want to insult someone, you can ask them, ”Does it hurt to be crazy?”
Or mishpokhe or mishpucha. It means “family,” as in “Relax, you’re mishpocheh. I’ll sell it to you at wholesale.”
Or nash. To nibble; a light snack, but you won’t be light if you don’t stop noshing. Can also describe plagarism, though not always in a bad sense; you know, picking up little pieces for yourself.
A general word that calls for a reply. It can mean, “So?” “Huh?” “Well?” “What’s up?” or “Hello?”
Exclamation of dismay, grief, or exasperation. The phrase “oy vey iz mir” means “Oh, woe is me.” “Oy gevalt!” is like oy vey, but expresses fear, shock or amazement. When you realize you’re about to be hit by a car, this expression would be appropriate.
Or plats. Literally, to explode, as in aggravation. “Well, don’t plotz!” is similar to “Don’t have a stroke!” or “Don’t have a cow!” Also used in expressions such as, “Oy, am I tired; I just ran the four-minute mile. I could just plotz.” That is, collapse.
It means “deep peace,” and isn’t that a more meaningful greeting than “Hi, how are ya?”
To drag, traditionally something you don’t really need; to carry unwillingly. When people “shlep around,” they are dragging themselves, perhaps slouchingly. On vacation, when I’m the one who ends up carrying the heavy suitcase I begged my wife to leave at home, I shlep it.
A clumsy, inept person, similar to a klutz (also a Yiddish word). The kind of person who always spills his soup.
Cheap, shoddy, or inferior, as in, “I don’t know why I bought this schlocky souvenir.”
Someone with constant bad luck. When the shlemiel spills his soup, he probably spills it on the shlimazel. Fans of the TV sitcom “Laverne and Shirley” remember these two words from the Yiddish-American hopscotch chant that opened each show.
A jerk, a stupid person, popularized in The Last Unicorn and Welcome Back Kotter.
Excessively sentimental, gushing, flattering, over-the-top, corny. This word describes some of Hollywood’s most famous films. From shmaltz, which means chicken fat or grease.
Chat, make small talk, converse about nothing in particular. But at Hollywood parties, guests often schmooze with people they want to impress.
Often used as an insulting word for a self-made fool, but you shouldn’t use it in polite company at all, since it refers to male anatomy.
A long, involved sales pitch, as in, “I had to listen to his whole spiel before I found out what he really wanted.” From the German word forplay.
A non-Jewish woman, all too often used derogatorily. It has the connotation of “young and beautiful,” so referring to a man’s Gentile wife or girlfriend as a shiksa implies that his primary attraction was her good looks. She is possibly blonde. A shagetz or sheygets means a non-Jewish boy, and has the connotation of a someone who is unruly, even violent.
Or shmuts. Dirt – a little dirt, not serious grime. If a little boy has shmutz on his face, and he likely will, his mother will quickly wipe it off. It can also mean dirty language. It’s not nice to talk shmutz about shmutz. A current derivation, “schmitzig,” means a “thigamabob” or a “doodad,” but has nothing to do with filth.
Something you’re known for doing, an entertainer’s routine, an actor’s bit, stage business; a gimmick often done to draw attention to yourself.
Or tshatshke. Knick-knack, little toy, collectible or giftware. It also appears in sentences such as, “My brother divorced his wife for some little tchatchke.” You can figure that one out.
Or tsores. Serious troubles, not minor annoyances. Plagues of lice, gnats, flies, locusts, hail, death… now, those were tsuris.
Rear end, bottom, backside, buttocks. In proper Yiddish, it’s spelledtuchis or tuches or tokhis, and was the origin of the American slang wordtush.
Female busybody or gossip. At one time, high-class parents gave this name to their girls (after all, it has the same root as “gentle”), but it gained the Yiddish meaning of “she-devil”. The matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof” was named Yente (and she certainly was a yente though maybe not very high-class), so many people mistakenly think that yente means matchmaker.
Smart person. Literally means “Jewish head.” I don’t want to know whatgoyisher kop means.
Yiddish Language and Culture – history of Yiddish, alphabet, literature, theater, music, etc.
Grow A Brain Yiddish Archive – the Beatles in Yiddish, the Yiddish Hillbillies, the Pirates of Penzance in Yiddish, etc.
kan leiot 100 milim ze ata charih ladot.
Literaly “to stuff.” Used as a euphemism for sex. “He stopped shtupping his shiksa after she gained weight.”
2) Shnorren – to beg or mooch
3) Versteh – understand, get it? – use in place of “capeesh” (from Italian, capire) for a one word interrogative for “Do you understand? ”
4) Macher – a “hot shot” or “big wig”
5) Zaftig – buxom or hefty (but in a good way)
Jim
the Orthodox Jewish community knew to rely on in turning
on electricity, light. fire, other activities they were forbidden
to do themselves
mentsh > Mensch (man)
kop > kopf (head)
nosh > gnash (snack)
spiel > Spiel (play)
gornischt > nichts (nothing)
schmutz > schmutz (dirt)
Versteh – German: verstehen, to understand (Verstehst du das?)
Macher – German: machen, to make; Macher: an accomplisher
Zaftig – German: saftig, from Saft=juice; ein saftiges Bussgeld – a heavy fine
Linguistic says.
Your comment is worthless – several commented here already about the obvious German cognates with Yiddish. Nothing new – both Yiddish and modern High German stem from the older Middle High German. Yiddish also borrows from Slavic languages (e.g., Polish and Russian), as well as Semitic tongues (e.g., using the Hebrew aphabet). My post just suggested some other Yiddish words – that are used in vernacular English – for possible inclusion on a future list here. Just some constructive commentary on my part. Maybe you should try that, instead of making useless, persnickety comments about other posts. No one is impressed that you can conjugate a few German verbs. Und ja, Ich kenne andere Sprache – zum Beispiel, Italienisch: “Va’ fanculo!!”
Regarding the shlemiel and shlimazel, I learned a slightly different definition. Basically the shlemiel spills the soup on himself, and the shlimazel spills the soup on the person sitting next to him. The nebish (or nebich not sure on the spelling) sits next to the shlimazel…
nebbish (n) An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless or hapless unfortunate.”
It’s a funny language, very funny. Try to develope the issue. Daniel Levy
shalom
hhp
Or mishpokhe or mishpucha. It means “family,” as in “Relax, you’re mishpocheh. I’ll sell it to you at wholesale.”
Thanks…
you invented it.
love that word. usually accompanied with a Bissel.
so discriptive of a neurotic person.
Now that it’s almost Purim this word is heard every day in the meaning “play” as in performance. The “Purim Speil” is the re-enactment of the story of Queen Esther and her Uncle Mordechai who saved the Jews in ancient Persia under King Achashverosh and the evil Haman.
Shabbat Shalom from Israel.
Kishkeh is literally intestine. The kishkeh that some people eat (NOT ME!) is the intestine of a cow stuffed like a sausage but with grains, spices, probably onions fried in schmaltz. The stuffed kishkeh is then cooked in a pot with vegetables and water.
Lo aleynu, but a lot of people love it.
Sottish haggis resembles it.
I use schmutz, schmaltz, schtick, tuchus, tchotchke, spiel, chutzpah, and many more on a daily basis without thinking.
Yiddish Civilization: The Rise & Fall of A Forgotten Nation, A Vintage Book 2005 ISBN10:1-40000-3377-2
Another fine example of superstition and tribalism that has plagued the Middle East for centuries.
My husband is “a Goy”, and he loves to learn yiddish words from my childhood.
One day at the table he announced to my father and my self that he wanted his own ” Knippis Money”.
After all the giggles died down we explained to him that knippis money is what the wife hides in her bra in case her husband runs away with the blonde down the street.
Look around you and see the beauty in the world Miquel..not the ignorant ramblings found in college dorm rooms.
When growing up I often remember my parents telling each other to “Kush meer in Toches!” Always said in jest however…
was shmoozing a yenta named Gert
kibbitzing all cutesy and coy
his shtick was so thick she was hurt.
your kvetching’s offensive and gay,
you’re such a non-kosher shlemiel
just shtup me and be on your way!”
By the way u shud add meis kiet n drai mit nir kain kot -which means leave me alone or dont bother me.
Thus, for about the last sixty years, Yiddish has remained almost literally my emotive mamaloschen, romantically preserved in my memory a a kind of Platonic mother tongue. Schmaltzy or not, it’s sometimes hard for me to hear or see it without feeling my face start to smile or my eyes tear up. So this site, & especially this discussion, which I’ve just read instead of working on a paper due tomorrow at 1PM, is bittersweet for more than one reason.
The Nazi war machine didn’t just murder a third of world Jewry, it inadvertently vindicated Zionism’s ardently national-colonial project as it wiped-out the Bund’s competing Yiddishist autonomism, along with the rest of “Ashkanzia’s” wonderful borrowed, demotic, mongrel, exilic culture, including of course, its crown jewel (& sometime schmuck)–sarcastic, secular Yiddish. Still, as a fine & famous goyische US writer, recently deceased, was fond of, & famous for, saying, “There are no unmixed blessings.”
Amen I guess.
Bakshish – bribe
Hashish – hashish
Assasin – assasin
oh and
Algebra
It is not amazing that you can read my mind? Who is “wanting to smear and misrepresent”?
Thank you for the update. I really was not aware that there were more Arabic words in English. Perhaps you could write an article on Arabic in English usage for this website. I would like to read it.
Sincerely
Baruch
Medieval Christiandom, aka Europe, emerging from its “Dark Ages,” learned both algebra & zero from its Arab neighbors & opponents, along with a lots else. However, these technologies had been developed centuries earlier by Hindu mathematicians, who had themselves borrowed some ideas from classical Greece.
Once upon a time, the Germanic lands were made of different tribes. Cultures began to spread, as cultures will do, and English started forming just West of these tribes. There were some battles, and the places forming English generally put the losing side of the German language inside the “Commoner’s words” that everyone would use, such as “Hand”. French became the influence on the winning side, in those who gained money for things such as “Antiques” and “Banquets”, French words that became common English. There was also a mix of Latin. The end.
Not on you, Ruby- no, you need harsh words to help understand some ideals obviously not ever placed on you.
you invented it.”
Please say more about your rejection of the characterization of Yiddish being, “German written with the Hebrew alphabet.”
Thanks so much–really appreciate the indicative remarks. If I get a taste for linguistic detail, I’ll check out Jacobs…
“…draw you a map on a beverage napkin at a bar to show the 4 dialects of yiddish and how it evolved…”
The German language belongs to the indo-european language family and uses the Roman alphabet. Persian (farsi) is likewise an indo-european language; however, it uses the Arabic alphabet and in some regions the Cyrillic alphabet. Which does not detract from the main thrust of your argument, although your statement is incorrect.
Many thanks,
Azar
Some years ago I discovered that Gabby Hayes’ nickname, “Crazy Old Galoot” was derived from/related to Jewish peddlers in the West, living far from their families/synagogues, scratching out a living as the ultimate non-conformists to WASP culture, living in the /galoot/ (diaspora).
Great site and a very interesting discussion.
@ Jenn . You wrote “yiddisch…it is NOT derived from german” and that sounds quite odd to me.
If Yiddisch did not derive from German, either the German language derived from Yiddisch (which it did not, since German came to the Rhineland long before Yiddisch), or the two languages have different roots.
But since the two languages seem to share grammar and most of the words I do not think that you can seriously claim that they have different roots, at least not from a linguistic point of view.
So as I see it Yiddisch is a germanic language, it has derived from German and it has over the centuries evolved further away from German, both in spelling, pronounciation and by adding new loan words. Or did I miss anything?
I can not imagine that galoot is related in Yiddish to “golus” (exile). I thought galoot was Irish.
And further on, in the Middle Ages I have understood that Yiddisch was called “taytsh” (טײַטש), compared to “tiutsch” (the name om German had developed).
This is not about history, culture or ethnicity, my view concerns only the linguistic aspects.
Thanks! Anna
bupkes – bubkis
kvetsh – kvetch
mishegas – mishugas
plotz – platz
mishpocheh – mishpacha
shlemiel – shlamiel
shlimazel – shlamazel
shikse – shiksa
Bubula: same thing except this can be said to a man or Bubbee
I had numerous Jewish friends some years ago ’till I moved and lost touch.
Their conversation was always sprinkled with Yiddish words that had me saying “What’s that mean? What’s that mean?”
They thought I was meshuggenah.(spelling)
Perhaps it is not extremely common, but a german will understand meshuga, and that word came from hebrew (crazyness).
What about “mischmasch”?
But I can never remember how to spell tchotchkes, which is how I found this site.
Yiddish so incredibly descriptive that it often takes a full paragraph in English to define one Yiddish word. Niall’s post above on the definition of chutzpah is my favorite.
And the slight, but definite distinctions between words like meshuggineh, mishegoss and meshugge. They all sort of mean crazy, but….
For any of you who enjoy science fiction, there’s a wonderful book out there that uses a great deal of Yiddish. “Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy and Science Fiction.” there are 13 stories, an introduction by Isaac Asimov, and Harlan Ellison added a wonderful glossary of Yiddish words at the end. It was first printed in the 70′s, but sites like abebooks,com may have copies.
Mazel Tov!
I have surfed around a bit looking for Yiddisch texts written in Latin alfabet, but haven’t been very successful. Anyone that could give any online – or offline – suggestions?
Exclamation of dismay, grief, or exasperation. The phrase “oy vey iz mir” means “Oh, woe is me.” “Oy gevalt!” is like oy vey, but expresses fear, shock or amazement. When you realize you’re about to be hit by a car, this expression would be appropriate.
To drag, traditionally something you don’t really need; to carry unwillingly. When people “shlep around,” they are dragging themselves, perhaps slouchingly. On vacation, when I’m the one who ends up carrying the heavy suitcase I begged my wife to leave at home, I shlep it.
Lovely language personaly. Would be nice more people command a comprehension of yiddish, and, we all know we command a comprehension
Whenever I read this information I’m reminded of my awareness’ to the strong reality of my life being translated & vice/versa. I changed my name, in part, because my original name reminded me ‘What are you waiting for, the messiah? Hurry up!’ and the name change is my expression of I stopped questioning humans and moved into the next phase.
I’m just concerned a little help might be required protecting people with names newbies to a language might suddenly become suspicious of. Hopefully we have more heart to understand this point than the oil we use to.
Helps me that much!
(Heres) ” to my french girlfriends
Dominating the competion ‘Translate Life’ is consuming, especial as a very expresive entity.
I just find conversation with humans in all of this more effective subjected to spanish inquisiton protocol, and there is still way too much already here. Human difficulty I find is borne of humans explaining implied truth for all life and then freed to explore futher in the universes.
But at the time Yiddish was created, this word had by far left the Proto Germanic era and was then a German, not a Germanic, word.
Therefore I would say that Yiddish and German words does not share a common root, but Yiddish has borrowed the word from German.
http://www.yivoinstitute.org/about/index.php?tid=57&aid=146
You might say: I picked up a few tchatchkes on my trip to Niagra Falls. Quite different from: I picked up a few tsatskes on my trip…
An honorable, decent person, an authentic person, a person who helps you when you need help. Can be a man, woman or child.
Insanity or craziness. A meshugener is a crazy man. If you want to insult someone, you can ask them, ”Does it hurt to be crazy?”
Yiddish is with no doubt an allegory of many languages however it is not an invention per se.
It is the native tongue of the Khazar tribes that became the Ashkenazi.
I can easily say “Good day” the implied sentiment is just that, to have a good day – Why say Shalom when I can say “Good day”.
Q. Are Jews a race? NO they are not – When did you lose your semitic connection/s – NB Jews are not Semitic in the main they are Turkic Finn aka White Fellas.
Once again Yid is the native tonue of your Khazar fore fathers -FACT.
So is there a Catholic race – NO.
I have noticed that when a Jew feels threatened that racism and crazy come to pass.
I wish the Torah followers all the best – As for Mishna we are all Goy.
Now if separatism is not in fact racism what is?
Cris
Finally the machine says to him something like, your name is Eddy Goldstein, you live in Golders Green, your wife’s name is Sadie and <<>>, you’ve missed your train.
In all the time I was enjoying the comments I could not shake a comment by Mike *19…… I’m not normally given to political outburst but my cage was rattled…
……’Yes, there is definitely overreaching by some Iraeli’s on the part of their neighbours’…..
Is that what they call the blatant genocide of an ancient people these days where you come from Mike.. ‘overreaching’…..
Will someone explain where this whole anti-semitic thing comes from since 85%+ of modern day Jewry are descendants of Khazars (7th Century Khazar king went eeny meeny mynee mo….Islam Christianity or Judaism……) with not a single drop of semitic blood in them. Oh.. by the way, the same lie’s that is the basis of the pretext of stealing Palestine.
Here’s a couple of good words ‘spine’ and ‘accuracy’… So.. let’s ‘av it right shall we …
English is basically two languages joined together: Anglo-Saxon and French (and most English words come from French/Latin). The French and Latin terms are more abstract and generally those of an overclass (the Norman and French rulers of England). The Anglo-Saxon words are, in general, more earthy, emotional, onomatopoeic, and usually punchily monosyllabic: squelch, slug, stink (compare ‘odour’ from the French!) and so on.
The Yiddish terms mainly seem to come from the same ancient word hoard, and thus they sound meaningful to us even when we don’t know their exact meaning.
Add to that an injection of Jewish wit and humour, and you’ve got some gems!
Give it a name. My Arabic is scratchy but I’m know they had a name for the land. I’m talking about the people who have lived there for thousands of years not the racist dopplegangers that stole it.
Your last sentence was very revealing. No… the world wouldn’t stand for you ‘to finish’… so you play the slow game as you always have. Pls… I’ve been to Israel… save it for the dumb Goy…
I deeply apologize to anyone upset by my comments.
Second he introduced a lot of hate in this basically “peacefull” list, and including comments that are completely off subject, that is “yidish”.
Third, regarding the supposed sentence of the ex Tel Aviv mayor, I completely believe it’s a complete antisemite lie, exactly the same as infamous “The Protocols”. Also I couldn’t find references to it in internet.
And finally he shouts so loud his incredibly hate, I’m sure he’s sick (of hate) and he should be expulsed from the site.
Just the fact that you mention “The Protocols” as a valid source after one hundred years that only people who hate jews believe on it, but not normal people, relieves me of trying to answer you.
Then you make a difference between “rank and file Jews” and “criminal Zionists”. This is enough, and you don’t deserve any answer.
However as you believe you are the owner of the truth.
So I beg to you to take off your lenses and go learn the real story.
And I insist to the list moderators, to forbid you from accessing this thematic list.
Look for medical advice, before going learn history.
May be this will help you.
And you insist that I go and read The Protocols. Are you insane or what???
Like you, I have read it and it should be obvious to anyone that “The Protocols” is a product of someones imagination.
And I might add since it is not written in Yiddish, it is a bit off topic
Seriously though.. don’t you get it. It’s only human to vent through frustration. I didn’t stop to think where I was. When one see’s image’s of screaming children scared to death after their father has been shot in front of them preceding their house being bulldozed flat…or to once again sit and listen to Mark Regev and his sickening lies when we know Mossad had seven specific targets for execution on the recent aid floatila……. it kind of sticks in the craw…. get it ?
But you should know…. the parties over… People ARE waking up so I should expect some more ‘inappropriate’ (ahhemm) responses… Adios amigos..
You were ALL right. What I said was inappropriate and my words here are not going to be sufficient to communicate how infantile I feel I’ve been. Not very smart was I ?
I”m sure there’s a whole series of Yiddish words that say it well, as only Yiddish can. Feel free !!!
I am sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings which I know I have and I ask your forgiveness.
It won’t happen again.
With your permission I’ll excuse myself from the site.
It is not a stolen language from the germans… it is a mix of german ,polish, russian… and is uniqully jewish….. one of the only languages most jews can speak to one another with, and be understood… unless they speak hebrew… not all speak hebrew… yiddish is almost universal…….
One addition, that surprisingly hasn’t been mentioned so far, is “Lansman,” as in a greeting to a fellow speaker of the language, or countryman.
One modification I’ll offer is for my very favorite Yiddish word, “kvell.” One reader said it meant swell with pride, which, to my knowledge, is true as far as it goes, but, the extra kick that makes it a favorite is my understanding that it is almost always used to mean to swell with pride at the accomplishments of your child — a lovely and unique Yiddish word indeed.
Thank you for this lovely site.
Fascinating dialogue, despite some of the irrelevent and attention-grabbing hate speech. Ruby, your comment re stealing language was shameful and totally incorrect. Listen to Jenn already, she’s the voice of reason.
MESHUGGAH
(come on folks –if we’re truly interested in an honest discussion about how Yiddish is used, let’s be frank — “shiksa” and “shvartza” and others have been used in the past with negative connotation. Not suggesting it’s appropriate to continue to do so — but let’s not pretend to be surprised!)
To address, the pedigree of Yiddish, let me say, that while it did begin as middle ages High German, it adopted words from each country where Jews lived. As a result, many speakers of many tongues can recognize words from their languages. I absolutely loved the observation by Robert Aitchison (#11) who said that Yiddish is middle age Ebonics. This was true for all Yiddish speakers until today.
To the person, arguing about the theft of words from other languages, then as English speakers, we must admit to the same thievery. One of the reasons English is so difficult to master is its inconsistent and limited rules. The reason for this is that English is the mutt of the language kennel. We have adopted (stolen) words and rules from almost all the languages and language groups of Europe. This includes all the Romance languages including Latin. We have also stolen from the Greek, Scandinavian, Slavic language groups and others. In fact, I submit we are the most prolific language thieves in the Western world. So any carping about the lack of pedigree for Yiddish is due to a lack of understanding, or perhaps something more odious.
A South African , bluegum expression that caused my dad lots of angst when I used it , but being an anglo saxon victorian he could never bring himself to translate.
Even Jews I know here in Australia dont know what it means….!
The former is an untidy unkempt person, sometimes a child of wild disposition (“Oy vei, you look like a shlumper! Tidy up right away!”
first- about the Word “KIBITZER”
it has nothing to do with KIBUTZ (Except for the root which does imply gathering – for hebrew speakres)
In Yiddish it is a name for a begger (one who asks for handouts- trying to put two pennies together)
- in Yiddish slang it also means for a guy begging for attention and thus allways sticks his nose in, and gives advice.
and Naftali Arik- strictly speaking U R right: shelfish are “SHIKUTZ” or “SHERETZ” and not “TREIFE”, but “TREIFE” as the opposite of “COSHER” is generaly and widely acceptable.
I liked the article
At least that is how it sounded when my mother spoke it. It means a low-life or redneck or generally uncouth person/people.
7.- a nar bleib a nar … a fool remains a fool
8.- azoy brocht der kiegel … that is the way the cookie crumbles
*Kaput* : finished as in ‘I walked so much, my feet are going Kaput!’
*Kaput Gemacht* : totally finished.
*Alter Kaker/Terach* : Old Fart
there are much much more sharp words in Yiddish..
And, I don’t remember if anybody included it, but “bris” is the name given to the ceremony of circumcission.
the Sclamazle spills his soup on himself
the schmegeggie spills the schlamazel;s
soup on the schlemile and himself
Goy is also from Hebrew and literally means nation. The people of ha’goyim, the nations, of the world, were gentile, vs. ha’goy Yisrael (the nation of Israel) and thus, goy became a word to describe gentiles.
Bris is the Ashkenaz way of pronouncing the Hebrew word brit or brith, and literally means covenant. The Bris Mila is the covenant of the circumcision, shortened to Bris in everyday language.
I was going to comment about the word ‘treyf’ but someone else already handled that very capably. Glatt is another word that is sometimes used mistakenly. Some think glatt kosher means very kosher, but it actually refers to the the condition of the organs (lungs) of a slaughtered animal. After slaughter, the lungs will be inspected to ensure they are smooth (glatt) and not treyf (torn or ripped)
On another note, it is amazing how antisemitism creeps into discussions like these and even more amazing how such haters try to justify their hate.
Doug Ross
Goyim = cattle
One of the words-terms I have never heard is ‘ yoshkee pondray’-
She would say this when she saw a shrine in a back yard— does anyone know what it means?my childhood was filled with a zillion ‘gay shlof ins ‘
—sound familiar anyone.?
I hope that Jiddish thrives as a living language.
Born in the Bronx, 1950′s, I hear first said. I lived in a Jewish, Puerto Rican street, Fox street. A lot of Eastern Jews lived on my street, survivors.
Love the word mishegas, ja ja ja, o yes, I use that 2.
Spiel, when your running a c=scam on someone.
Bupkes~ you get nothing, ja ja ja bupkes.
It only became Yiddish when these Jews were no longer in Germany -
When they still lived in Germany, it was simply German, as spoken by all of the inhabitants.
In Eastern Europe – Poland, Ukraine, etc, is became the Jewish vernacular, and later (basically in the 19th century) a literary language, used for fiction, drama, poetry, etc. Most of the European classics were translated into Yiddish in the 19th-20h centuries.
Refer to: Yiddish theatre, Max Weinrich Institute, YIVO
Happy researching.
A bie gezundt.
Be well,
Helen, 91 and still swingin’.
sound+sense+gripe+joy+endearment+boiled vowels with cabbaged consonants. So delicious and somehow seaming to steam a promise of an expression for every impression possible; as if Yiddish can indent any dent in a dented heart. A body shop for whatever daily or more rare damaged might insult a human heart. In Yiddish, I thought maybe, there it is: the language that forgives every situation by digesting it with a nifty linguistic twist, tuck, lift. Thank You for the Language, whether we really “get it” yet, or don’t!! I know I have ancestry in the language but adoptions and wars and shifts and all the brack (made-up word), a thread can keep going that does not break. With that, I find myself noticing a line between respect for a culture and then a kind of joy that rises up all around it, like spelt (rustic wheat) through a bed-spring. How crucial is the respect for Yiddish (as artifact) as opposed to the joy that leaps up through its cadence, inflections, phonetic content and imagination? I lean toward joy because I do not have cachez in the culturally correct grasp of the language. Nonetheless, their is a grief in my chest that celebrates that fact and critically-celebrates my ignorance with some chagrin. And with it, 400-times more joy that this Yiddish permission to bust-up English into spelt somehow exists. What about the heart of a language resurrected for whatever good-hearted reason: does it receive any kind if blessing? Can it? Is there a Yiddish for our time; echoes of a spirit that never dies? Maybe the problems aren’t the same…and the Spirit has no problem with losing some problems to enjoy new ones, the fresh taste of language doing what languages have always done…chew through silence, less with the teeth and possibly more with the tonsils and the tongue. Cheers!!