shmutz

Pronunciations

Definitions

  • n. Dirt, filth.

Example Sentences

  • "Brush your shirt off--you've got shmuts on it."

  • "Come here and let me wipe that shmutz off your face." (JPS)

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • שמוץ shmuts

    • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      shmuts, shmootz, shmoots, schmoots, schmutz

Notes

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