kereach mikan umikan

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Definitions

  • adj. Failing on all fronts.

Example Sentences

  • "Don't be overambitious or you'll end up kereach mi-kan u-mi-kan." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • קרח מכאן ומכאן, lit. 'bald on both sides'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      kereach mi-kan u-mi-kan, kereakh mikan umikan, kereakh mi-kan u-mi-kan

Notes

  • "It comes from the story of a man who took two wives, one a young girl and the other a mature matriarch. The young girl proceeded to pluck out all his white hairs to make him look young, while the older woman plucked out all the fellow's black hairs to make him look old. The result was a bald man." (Glinert)

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