bulbenik

Pronunciations

bulbenik (BUHL-buh-nik)

Definitions

  • n. One who is inept, clumsy, all thumbs, who fouls things up (Rosten).

  • n. An actor "who talks as though he has a potato in his mouth", "blows" his lines, mixes them up, commits embarrassing spoonerisms, a malaprop.

Example Sentences

  • "And there I heard heartrending tales of a famous bulbenik" (Rosten).

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • בולבעניק bulbenik

    • Who Uses This

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

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).

      Alternative Spellings

      bolbanik, bulbanik, bolbenik

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.