balmelokhe

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Definitions

  • n. An expert, worker, craftsman.

  • n. (sarcastic) A failure at a certain role.

Example Sentences

  • “His son-in-law? Oh, there’s a balmelokhe!” (NJY)

  • “As a tightrope walker, Bloomgarten was no balmelokhe, but as a salesman—!” (NJY)

  • "When it comes to words, Gary Barwin is a mayster balmelokhe. His ritmish sentences and beautiful loshn will leave you farklemt despite the fact that mensch are being struck down on all sides." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y בעל־מלאָכה

      • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      balmeloche, balmelokha, balmelocha, balmalokhe, balmaloche, balmalokha, balmalocha, balmelokheh, balmelocheh, balmalokheh, balmalocheh

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