loy mit an alef

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Definitions

  • interj. Absolutely not.

Example Sentences

  • "'No!' he bellows, adding: 'Loy mit an alef,' a Hebrew-Yiddish word play meaning 'absolutely not.'" (source)

  • "Still, my prompt silent answer to myself was a categorical 'loy mit an alef' -- no!" (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y לא מיט אַן אַלף loy mit an alef, lit. 'loy (לא meaning 'no' and spelled with the letter א 'alef') with an "alef"'

      • Who Uses This

      • 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

      loi mit an alef

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