schmooze
Pronunciations
schmooze | (shmooz) | listen |
Definitions
v. To make small talk or informally chat; to network, kiss up.
Example Sentences
"I went to a party the other night and schmoozed with my boss."
"Avoid that conference at all costs. Total shmooze-fest."
Languages of Origin
- Yiddish
Etymology
from Yiddish שמועסן shmuesn 'to converse, chat' (verbal stem is שמועס shmues), originally from Hebrew שמועות 'things that are heard'
- Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
- Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)
- North America
- Great Britain
- South Africa
- Australia / New Zealand
- View More
- The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
- The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
Who Uses This
Regions
Dictionaries
Alternative Spellings
shmues, shmooze
Notes
Originally used only with the Yiddish meaning ('chat'), this word has changed in American English and now also means 'network'. It has also changed from being intransitive to being both intransitive and transitive (now we can "shmooze with somebody," "shmooze somebody," or "shmooze up" somebody we want to curry favor with).
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