tzimmes

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Pronunciations

tzimmes (TZIH-miss) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A sweet baked vegetable or fruit dish.

  • n. A prolonged, involved procedure; a fuss.

  • n. Troubles, difficulties.

Example Sentences

  • "The last time I had tzimmes was on Rosh Hashanah."

  • "I put sweet potatoes, carrots, and prunes in my tzimmes, with lots of honey."

  • "Don't make a whole tsimes out of it." (Rosten)

  • "Skip the fuss. Leave the tsimes to us." (Rosten)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • צימעס tsimes 'baked, sweet stew' from a contraction of צום עסן tsum esn 'to eat'
    מאַכן אַ צימעס פֿון makhn a tsimes fun 'to make a fuss over'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage
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      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      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).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
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      Alternative Spellings

      tsimes, tsimmes, tzimes, tzimmis, tzimis, tsimis, tsimmis

Notes

  • "Carrot tzimmes, a popular version, includes carrots, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon." (JPS)

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