khnyok

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Pronunciations

knyok (KHNUHK) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A mean or bigoted person.

  • n. A sanctimonious, holier-than-thou religious person.

  • n. An unkempt or slovenly person.

Example Sentences

  • "He's such a khnyok--I can't stand him."

  • "Yes, if I decided to shuckle too hard while davening, be makpid on washing negelvasser in the morning, or say oi instead of oh, I was chided with 'don’t be such a chnyok!'” (source)

  • "Hell with Hoover! Get that fachnyok out of power!" (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • כניאָק khnyok '(religious) zealot, clumsy oaf, wimp'; plural כניאָקעס khnyokes

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      chinyuk, chnyuk, khnyuk, chnyok, khinyuk, khenyok, chenyok

Notes

  • Often used by Orthodox Jews to describe those farther to the right on the Modern Orthodox to Black Hat continuum (when used in its first sense).

    plural: 'khnyokes' or 'khnyoks'

    Sometimes the "fachnyok" is used.

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