Orangutangents

Wonderful Yiddish Words

After I posted Words That Sit in a Corner Part 2 last week, there was a wonderful little subdiscussion that started up about some Yiddish words, so I thought I'd follow up on some of the comments and look some up. I was absolutely delighted to see 'glitch' pop up. Who knew? And how cool is that?

A few of my favourites are as follows :

bubbe - 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.

bupkes - Bubkes or bobkes may have the same root as 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”

chutzpah - Or khutspe. Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In English, chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but apparently it's not considered a compliment with Yiddish speakers.

feh! - An expression of disgust or disapproval.

glitch - Or glitsh. Meaning “slip,” “skate,” or “nosedive,” and the origin of the common American usage as “a minor problem or error.” Used widely, especially by me. 

klutz - Or klots. Literal translation “a block of wood,” so it’s often used for a dense, clumsy or awkward person. See also schlemiel.

kvetsh - In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine or fret,” but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,” like a wrong-sized shoe. Also used on Yiddish web pages for “click”.

maven - Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically, despite more modern usage on CVs.

mishegas - Insanity or craziness. A meshugener is a crazy man. 

nosh - Or nash. To nibble; a light snack, but you won’t be light if you don’t stop noshing. Apparently it can also describe plagarism, though not always in a bad sense; picking up little pieces for yourself (which I suspect this is classed as).

oy vey - 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 an annoyed simian, this expression would be appropriate.

plotz - 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.

shalom - It means “deep peace,” and isn’t that a more meaningful greeting than “Hi, how are ya?”

shlep - 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.

shlemiel - A clumsy, inept person, similar to a klutz (also a Yiddish word). The kind of person who always spills his soup.

schlock - Cheap, shoddy, or inferior, often used in reference to souvenirs one suspects.

shmendrik - A jerk, a stupid person

schmuck - 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.

spiel - 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 for play.

shmutz - Or shmuts. Dirt – a little dirt, not serious grime. It can also mean dirty language. 

shtick - 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.

tchatchke - 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.” 

tuches - Rear end, bottom, backside, buttocks. In proper Yiddish, it’s spelled tuchis or tuches or tokhis, and was the origin of the American slang word tush.