Fun with Yiddish

[Inwood]

Living in the metro NY area all my life my daily lingo is peppered with Yiddish words and sayings. As there is a large concentration of Jews they've influenced the language to the point where its become commonplace to see it on signs and billboards. It was quite funny when I lived in Providence, RI for a year and would say something like "oyveh" and people would look at me funny.

What Yiddish words do you find yourself using in your everyday (or just once-in-a-while) speech?

kvetch (and kvell)
oyveh
fehkakt (love that one)
farmisht
schlep (EVERYONE uses that one)
shmaltzy
shmutz
shnook
shpilkes (notice a trend with the 'sh' words?)
shtik
yenta

 

[Nonimus]

Oooo, without giving the game away....

1) Chachkis
2) Pisher
3) Shlong
4) Shnoz
5) Smooze
6) Shleper
7) Yada, yada, yada
8) Bagel
9) Goy (pl: Goyim)
10) Billy Crystal

 

[Inwood]

Oooo, without giving the game away....

1) Chachkis
2) Pisher
3) Shlong
4) Shnoz
5) Smooze
6) Shleper
7) Yada, yada, yada
8) Bagel
9) Goy (pl: Goyim)
10) Billy Crystal

OOOH YES!! I forgot most of those. DAMN!

 

[quasar]

Oooo, without giving the game away....
...
6. Shleper
7. Yada, yada, yada
...

Love these too!

 

[unclaimedblessing]

Maven
Dreck
Bubeleh
Mensch
Schmuck
Schmekeleh
Zoftig
Schmata
Shiksa
Shayketz
Schwarze (no longer in vogue)

 

[TriBi]

hehe...most of them I don't understand...

...is there a Babelfish for Yiddish?

 

[RationalLunacy]

Oy! You bunch of schlemiels!

 

[Nonimus]

hehe...most of them I don't understand...

...is there a Babelfish for Yiddish?

That's ok - i never got my head around the meaning of 'Strewth' either!

 

[RationalLunacy]

Billy Crystal

Yiddish translation = schlamazel

 

[buzzj]

Hm.... I use more than I would have thought!!

 

[Inwood]

7) Yada, yada, yada

We can thank the show Seinfeld for the worldwide proliferation of that one!

 

[shelmal]

My all time favorite is shmutz

 

[unclaimedblessing]

While "The Nanny" was on TV it introduced a lot of Yiddish words and phrases to American audiences too.
A funny show and a profoundly amusing language. Just certain inflections make me laugh.
I wonder if the Yiddish Theatre is still operating in NYC?

 

[Lube]

They have a lot of words for "jerk".

 

[bma1983]

Is the word "schmegeggy" Yiddish? I've always liked that word.

 

[Nonimus]

Is the word "schmegeggy" Yiddish? I've always liked that word.

Hmmm, i've heard of 'smeggy' - but yeah, put an "Sh" in front of anything and it becomes Yiddish - so why not?

 

[Nonimus]

i have some little book say it in yiddish

you should get it

I think we're doing quite well without it, cheers.

 

[cynicus]

You don't need Yiddish words to respond to a fellow Jew. "So how are you?"

"So how should I be?"

 

[Nonimus]

You don't need Yiddish words to respond to a fellow Jew. "So how are you?"

"So how should I be?"

.............................

 

[slobone]

I thought schmutz was the normal everyday English word? Same with shmata. You mean there are other words for those things?

And I couldn't get by without oy, with or without the veh. Also, whenever my family does something less than clever I say, What do you expect from a bunch of goys. But I dearly love the whole meshpachah. I get such naches from them sometimes.

One time a chorus I used to sing in was rehearsing a Gavotte by Bach. I dubbed it "the Gevalt" because it was a royal pain. Nobody got it.

Another fun book on Yiddish is The Joys of Yiddish by Leo Rosten. He says shmeggege is American slang, not real Yiddish, but who cares?

Nobody's mentioned feygeleh yet. Is that not PC now?

Have a nice yontif y'all.