zitsn af shpilkes

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Definitions

  • adj. Sitting on pins and needles; nervous, anxious, restless.

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)

  • "I'm totally zetzn af shpilkes today!" (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • זיצן אױף שפּילקעס zitsn af/oyf shpilkes, lit. 'sitting 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

      zitsen af shpilkes, zitsin af shpilkes, zitzn af shpilkes, zitzen af shpilkes, zitzin af shpilkes, zitsn oyf shpilkes, zitsen oyf shpilkes, zitsin oyf shpilkes, zitzin oyf shpilkes, zitzen oyf shpilkes, zitzn oyf shpilkes, zetsen af shpilkes, zetzen af shpilkes, zetzen oyf shpilkes, zetsen oyf shpilkes

Notes

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