burtshen

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Pronunciations

burtshen (BORT-tshin)

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Definitions

  • v. To grumble (as a stomach or person).

  • v. To complain to oneself.

Example Sentences

  • "What ’s he burtshing about?” (NJY)

  • "What are you burtshing about? You get to celebrate Hanukkah AND Christmas!" (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • בורטשען burtshen

      • 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]).
      • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      burtchen, burchen, burtshn, burtchn, burchn, bortshen, bortchen, borchen, bortshn, bortchn, borchn, burtshe, burtche, burche, bortshe, bortche, borche

Notes

  • Distinct from kvetch (to complain to others).

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