biz hundert un tsvantsik

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Pronunciations

biz hundert un tsvantsik (bihz HUUN-durt uun TSVAHN-tsihg) listen

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Definitions

  • interj. An expression meaning 'may you/he/she live until a hundred and twenty years' that is often used as a birthday wish for a long life, or when mentioning a person who is getting old.

Example Sentences

  • "I'd also like to extend warmest wishes to Hasia on the occasion of her reaching her 90th year, as we say 'alevay biz hundert un tsvantsik', with hopefully many more productive years ahead on the radio." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • ביז הונדערט און צװאַנציק 'until one hundred and twenty'

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      biz hundred and tsvansik

Notes

  • Refers to the length of Moses' life. The parallel Hebrew expression - ad me'ah v'esrim - is also used in Jewish English. Also sometimes said as "biz hundert un tsvantsik yor" (until 120 years)

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