oy vey iz mir

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Pronunciations

oy vey iz mir (OY VAY-zmir) listen

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Definitions

  • interj. Woe is me.

Example Sentences

  • "Oy vey iz mir, my car won't start."

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • אױ װײ איז מיר oy vey iz mir 'oh pain/woe is me'

      • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      oy vey zmir, oy veyzmir, oy vey ist mir, vey iz mir, oy vay iz mir

Notes

  • Cf. oy vey

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