Shabbos goy

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Pronunciations

Shabbos goy (SHAH-biss goy) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A non-Jew who by prearrangement performs chores that are forbidden for a Jew on the Sabbath or other Jewish holidays.

  • n. (Orthodox) A non-observant Jew; a non-Orthodox Jew.

Example Sentences

  • "One of my favorite things about living with all those Jews was being the Shabbos goy."

  • “His father and mother—long may they live—are good Jews, but he, I hate to tell you, is a Shabbes goy.” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y שבת־גױ shábes-goy

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)
      • 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).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      Shabbes goy, Shabes goy, Shabbas goy

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