bulbenik
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"—that is, an actor who "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
- Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
- Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage
- North America
- The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
Who Uses This
Regions
Dictionaries
Alternative Spellings
bolbanik, bulbanik, bolbenik
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