English Words Of Yiddish Origin

Yiddish, based on German dialect combined with words from Hebrew and Slavic languages, was spoken by Jews in central and eastern Europe before World War Two. It is still used in Israel and parts of Europe and the U.S.A., especially New York, and has added an extra tang to English speech.

The most familiar Yiddish word may be nosh, ‘to eat greedily’, used in English since the late 19th century and deriving from Yiddish nashn. Foods worth noshing include bagels (ring-shaped bread rolls), lox(smoked salmon), matzos (crisp biscuits of unleavened bread), and that staple of huge American-style sandwiches, pastrami (seasoned smoked beef).

The opening sch- is characteristic of Yiddish words, including schlep (to go or move with effort), schlock(inferior goods or material, rubbish), schmaltz (excessive sentimentality, literally ‘dripping, lard’), schnozz (the nose), and schtick (an attention-getting routine or gimmick). Most of these date from the early or mid 20th Century, although schmooze, ‘to chat intimately and cosily’, is from the 1890's.

Yiddish words often express a certain attitude - oy vey! (oh dear!), enough with the kvetching  (moaning and complaining) already! This use of already to express impatience is influenced by Jewish speech, and is a translation of Yiddish shoyn ‘already’. It is an example of the way Yiddish has exerted a subtle influence on English. If you say you need something like a hole in the head (used in English since the early 1950's), you are translating the Yiddish expression tsu darfn vi a lokh in kop. Other familiar idioms that are translations from Yiddish are it’s OK by me and get lost!, both of which are first found in the U.S.A.

Chutzpah is almost untranslatable - ‘extreme self-confidence or audacity’ is probably the closest approximation. A klutz is clumsy, awkward, or foolish and a nebbish is a feeble or timid man, while a schmuck is foolish or contemptible - the word literally means ‘penis’, as does putz, also used to mean ‘a stupid or worthless person’. On a more positive note, a maven is an expert or connoisseur, and a mensch a man of integrity and honor.

Although Yiddish is today associated particularly with New York, it has also influenced the speech of Londoners. Cockneys tell each other to keep schtum or silent, and call bad things dreck or rubbish and good ones kosher, a Hebrew word that was spread by Yiddish-speakers.

The -nik in words like beatnik is another Yiddish contribution to English. It was originally used in Russian to form words for people of a particular kind, and was taken up by Yiddish-speakers in the U.S.A. Today we have terms such as kibbutznik, a member of a kibbutz or communal farm in Israel, and refusenik, a Jew in the Soviet Union who was refused permission to emigrate to Israel, or more generally a person who refuses to follow orders or obey the law. The beatniks were part of the subculture associated with the beat generation of the 1950's and early 1960's.

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Other English Words Of Yiddish Origin

schande vor de goyim:"A disgrace before (in front of) the Gentiles", the scathing criticism of Judge Julius Hoffman by Abbie Hoffman during the trial of the Chicago Eight, whereby  goyimmeans nation, people or non-Jews. Also spelled in varied phonetic and Germanic ways as "a shanda fur di goyim,""a schande fur die goyim," and so forth.

balabusta: a homemaker; usually applied with positive connotations

blintz: a sweet cheese-filled crepe

bris: the circumcision of a male child

boychik: sweetheart; usually, a young boy or young man

bubbeh, bubbe: grandmother; the "u" pronounced like "uh" and the "e" pronounced like "bee", not like the Southern U..S. nickname

chutzpah: Courage, determination, daring; also audacity, effrontery. Similar in meaning to English slang guts, balls, or nerve. Can carry either a positive or negative connotation.

daven (as a verb): pray (referring to any of the three Jewish daily prayers).

dreck or drek (from German Dreck, "manure", "dirt" ): Material of low worth or lacking in quality; used especially of merchandise. Akin to dregs, "remains."

dybbuk: (Yid. from Heb. דיבוק‎ dibbuk, that which clings) a ghost; the malevolent spirit of a dead person which enters and controls a living body until exorcised.

goy: Someone not of the Jewish faith or people; a gentile (גוי‎, plural גוים‎ Goyim, Hebrew 'nation(s)', often referring to nations other than Israel, although the Tanach calls Israel the "goy koddesh", "the Holy Nation", so Israel is also a 'goy' ["nation" in the sense of "a people", not "a state"] ) "What's John Smith doing in temple, he's a goy!""Goy" can have a neutral connotation (non-Jews), a negative connotation (not astute or too aggressive), or a positive connotation (formal, polite). Also, among religious Jews, a derogatory term for a Jew who is both nonobservant and ignorant of Jewish law. A Jew who is learned in Jewish law but chooses not to observe it would be called an Apikoyres (Epicurean, i.e., freethinker)

goyisher mazel: good luck (literally - "Gentile luck")

kibitz: to offer unwanted advice, e.g. to someone playing cards; to converse idly, gossip; to josh or rib a person (Yiddish קיבעצען kibetsn), German thieves' jargon kiebitschen "to examine, search, look through", influenced by German Kiebitz (any of several birds called peewits [imitative]).

kishkes: intestines, guts. In the singular, a kind of sausage stuffed with finely chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, spices, etc., rather than meat. Slangly, the "guts" of a mechanical object: "The car was up on blocks with its kishkes hanging out."

kitsch: trash, especially gaudy trash (German "Kitsch")

klutz: clumsy person (from Yiddish קלאָץ klots 'wooden beam', German "Klotz") "Shloimy, you wear your hat like a klutz."

kosher: conforming to Jewish dietary laws; (slang) appropriate, legitimate (originally from Hebrew כשר‎).

kugel: a casserole or pudding, usually made from egg noodles (lochshen) or potatoes.

kvatchor kvetch: to complain habitually, gripe; or, a person who always complains, sometimes known as whinge (from Yiddish קװעטשן kvetshn and German quetschen 'press, squeeze')

latke: potato pancake, especially during Hanukkah (from Yiddish, from either Ukrainian or Russian)

l'chaim: an expression of joy, the traditional toast "to life!"

lox: salt-cured salmon (from Yiddish לאַקס laks and German Lachs 'salmon') eaten with bagels. Not to be confused with smoked salmon.

maven: expert (from Yiddish מבֿין meyvn, from Hebrew mevin 'one who understands')

mazel (from Hebrew מזל mazal): luck (literally, constellation of stars)

mazel tov! (מזל־טובֿ! mazl tof): congratulations! (literally, 'good constellation' from Hebrew, meaning, May you be born under a good star, or at a good time. When you tell someone Mazel Tov, it is customary to shake hands.) Literally, good luck.

mitzve: good deed (from Hebrew mitzvah, a religious duty incumbent upon a Jew)

mohel: a professional religious circumciser (from Hebrew מוהל)

nebbish: a hapless, unfortunate person, much to be pitied; the one who cleans up after the schlemiel's accidents (from Yiddish nebekh)

noodge: a person who persistently pesters, annoys, or complains. Also a verb: to act like a noodge (from Yiddish "nudyen" to bore)

nosh: snack (from Yiddish נאַשן nashn) Also a verb "Nu, stop noshing on that nosh."

nudnik (נודניק): pest, "pain in the neck", originally from Polish ("nuda" in Polish means "boredom"; nudziarz is the Polish word for the Yiddish nudnik)

oy: (exclamation) Oh!; Oy Gutt—Oh (my) God!

oy gevalt (אױ גװאַלד): Oh no! (from Yiddish gvald 'emergency'). Cognate with German Gewalt "force, violence".

oy vey (אױ װײ): (exclamation) Oh, woe! (Oh no!—literally, "Oh, pain!", cf. German Weh "pain", English woe

pisher: a male infant; a little squirt; a nobody, (Cognate with English and German "Pisser", originating from German "pissen" = to piss)

plotz: to burst, as from strong emotion: "I was so angry, I thought I'd plotz!" (from Yiddish פּלאַצן platsn 'to crack', cf. German platzen)

putz: unclean penis; stupid 'dirty' person, a jerk (from Yiddish פּאָץ pots)

rachmones: mercy, pity

schlemiel: an inept clumsy person; a bungler; a dolt (from Yiddish shlemil or shlimil from the Hebrew "Sh'aino Mo'eil" literally ineffective)

schlep: to drag or haul (an object); to make a tedious journey (from Yiddish שלעפּן shlepn and German schleppen)

schmaltz: excessive sentimentality; chicken fat or drippings used as a schmeer on bread (from Yiddish שמאַלץ shmalts and German Schmalz)

schmeckle: a little penis, often ascribed to a baby boy

schmeer: as a verb, to spread, e.g., the cream cheese on your bagel; also, as a noun, that which you spread on something, e.g., "I'll have a piece of challah with a schmeer." Can also mean ″to bribe″ (to spread money on someone's hands). (From שמיר) (cf. German schmieren)

schmuck: a contemptible or foolish person; a jerk; literally means "penis" (from Yiddish שמאָק shmok 'penis')

schmutz: buildup; dirt, often pertaining to petty household dirt (on the table, floor, clothes etc.) Also used metaphorically to the English equivalent; smut, sleaze (from German Schmutz)

Shiva (Judaism): The mourning of seven days after one dies by his family

shmatte: an old rag. Used literally: I spilled the coffee, bring me a shmatte, quick! Used figuratively (usu. derisively): That fancy dress she spent half her husband's money on just looked like a shmatte to me. (Cf. Polish szmata "rag, piece of cloth", Ukrainian: шмата shmata "old rag") Used ironically: "I'm in the schmatte business", meaning "I manufacture or sell clothing."

shmegege: a stupid person, a truly unlucky one; has been said to be the one who cleans up the soup the shlemiel spilled on the shlimazl.

shmendrik: ineffectual person.

shpiel: an act; a lengthy, often instructive talk (from Yiddish שפּיל shpil shpil and German Spiel "play, game")

tushie: or just tush - a polite way of saying tuchus or backside.

yenta or yente: a talkative woman; a gossip; a blabbermouth; a scold. Used as the name of the matchmaker in "Fiddler on the Roof", who personifies these qualities.

yichus: pedigree, family background, an advantage

Yiddishe Mama: a stereotypical Jewish mother

zaftig or zoftig: plump, chubby, full-figured (German saftig, meaning juicy), especially with a child or an attractive woman