schmooze

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Pronunciations

schmooze (SHMUZ) listen

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Definitions

  • v. To make small talk or chat informally.

  • n. A sermon.

  • n. A chat.

Example Sentences

  • "I went to a party the other night and schmoozed with my boss."

  • "Avoid that conference at all costs. Total shmooze-fest."

  • “The Mashgiach gave an incredible shmooze on the need for teshuva.” (Weiser)

  • “I can't say I know from just the quick shmooze I had with him.” (Weiser)

  • “If he didn't always shmooze with the guy next to him, he might chap shiur better.” (Weiser)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish
  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • Y שמועסן shmuesn

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • 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).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
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      Alternative Spellings

      shmues, shmooze, shmus, shmues, schmus, schmues

Notes

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