af shpilkes

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Pronunciations

af shpilkes (AHF SHPIL-kuhs) listen

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Definitions

  • adj., adv. On pins and needles.

Example Sentences

  • "When a candidate is feeling awkward and zitsin [sitting] oyf shpilkes -- sitting on pins and needles, it's best not to makhn a tsimis -- make a big deal about a subject they know little or nothing about." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • אױף שפּילקעס oyf shpilkes, lit. 'on pins'

      • 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

      oyf shpilkes

Notes

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