shtarker

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Pronunciations

shtarker (SHTAR-kur) listen

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Definitions

  • n. Thug.

  • n. A strong, stout fellow.

  • n. Big shot, an arrogant person.

Example Sentences

  • "It's high time for a Jewish innovations catalog, and I have just the one: 'The Shtarker Image.'" (source)

  • "Former Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato of New York learned his lesson during his 1998 re-election campaign when he tried to be a shtarker, a big shot, before a Jewish audience." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • שטאַרק shtark 'strong,' declined for masculine, שטאַרקער shtarker

      • 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).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).

      Alternative Spellings

      schtarker

Notes

  • Usually used in a negative manner.

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