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Well, probably Google took you to the right place. But while you're here, you'll see that in the list below we put together about 120 words that we call Yiddish slang words. And we even added audio so you'll know how to pronounce them!
Klutz — A clumsy person. Kvell — To experience pride in someone else, typically one’s children, as in “David decided to go into oncology, and I’m just kvelling.”. Kvetch — To complain, whine or fret, as in “He likes to kvetch at me when we serve kasha varniskes, because he doesn’t like it.”.
- On Being A Mensch
- On Business
- On Determination
- On Love and Family
- On Common Sense
- On Character
- Curses
Jews use a Yiddish word to express the notion of being a full, honorable human being: Mensch. Here are some classic Yiddish insights into what constitutes menschlichkeit(being a mensch). Az ich vel zayn vi er, ver vet zayn vi ich? If I’m going to be like him, who will be like me? This saying echoes the words of Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for myself...
The Torah cautions us to be scrupulously honest and honorable in business, and contains numerous rules and laws ensuring principled behavior. Yiddish reflects this ethic, offering penetrating advice on business matters. Ehren is fil tei’erer far gelt!Honor is dearer than money! Az me ken nit vi me vil, muz men vellen vi me ken. If you can’t do what...
Zog nisht keyn mol az du geyst dem letstn veg.Don’t ever say you’re traveling your last road. This saying comes from the “Partisan Song” by Hersh Glick, a Jewish partisan resistance fighter who was killed in 1944 at the age of 24. His Partisan Song became a rallying cry for Jews in the darkest days of the Holocaust and still inspires today.
Di liebe is zees, nor zi iz gut mit broyt.Love is good, but it’s good with bread. You can't live on love. Chosen-kalah hobn glezerne oygn.Bride and groom have glass eyes. We are blind to the faults of those we love. Eygene, az zey veynen nit, farkrimen zey zich chotshbe. Those who are close to you, even when they don't cry with you, at least they s...
“Seichel’ in Yiddish means common sense. It is actually the Hebrew word for intelligence. In his autobiography Songs My Mother Taught Me, Marlon Brando uses the word “seichel” to sum up his view of the Jewish people as a whole: “There’s a Yiddish word, seychel, that provides a key explaining the most profound aspect of Jewish culture. It means to p...
Az Got zol voynen af der erd, voltn im di mentschen di fenster oysgeshlogn!If God lived on earth, people would break His windows! Az der soyne falt, tor men zich nit freyen, ober me heybt im nit oyf!When your enemy falls, you shouldn’t gloat, but you don’t have to pick him up either!
Zolst vaksen vi a tsiba'le, mit kop in d'rerd! – You should grow like an onion, with your head in the ground! Zolst farlirn alle tseyner achuts eynem, un der zol dir vey ton! – All your teeth should fall out except one, and that one should hurt! Ich hob dich azoi lib, az ich volt dir mayn toit nit gezshalevit. I love you so much I would not even be...
- baleboste. A good homemaker, a woman who’s in charge of her home and will make sure you remember it.
- bissel. Or bisl – a little bit.
- 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. 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.”
- Lauren Le Vine
- Alterkaker. An old fart.
- Bupkis. Nothing (figurative) Extra credit: In Yiddish, bupkis comes from the word for goat turd. The usual Yiddish word for nothing is gornisht.
- Chutzpah. Supreme self-confidence. Extra credit: Keep in mind that chutzpah is a breath-taking audacity (something that is not valued in Yiddish culture, but is highly praised in the United States).
- Klutz. In English, klutz has come to mean accident-prone. Extra credit: However, in Yiddish the “clumsy” sense of klutz comes from its primary meaning of wooden beam, which was extended to refer to really awkward questions (klutz kashes), the kind of questions that stop a conversation like a wooden beam in the middle of the road.
May 9, 2020 · The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know. Michael May 09, 2020. The Yiddish language is a wonderful source of rich expressions, especially terms of endearment (and of course, complaints and insults)….Jewish scriptwriters introduced many Yiddish words into popular culture, which often changed the original meanings drastically.
to annoy or both with constant requests, complaints, or urgings. nosh. to eat lightly or snack. nu. huh so what well. nudnik. a pest, pain, or bore. oy gevalt. exclamation of shock or fear.
