tchotchke

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Pronunciations

tchotchke (TCHOCH-kuh) listen
tchotchke (TCHOTCH-kee) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A trinket, knicknack.

  • n. An attractive woman.

  • n. A bruise.

  • n. A nobody.

  • n. A misfit.

  • n. A brat.

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Example Sentences

  • "He brought us back a little tchatchka from Peru."

  • “I bought the child a tsatske.” (NJY)

  • “He gave her some tsatske or other for her trouble.” (NJY)

  • “He had a tsatske under each eye.” (NJY)

  • “Don’t listen to that one; he’s some tsatske.” (NJY)

  • “What can we do about him? Since he joined the club he’s been a tsatske.” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • טשאַטשקע tshatshke 'trinket', צאַצקע tsatske 'knick-knack, toy'

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

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      tchotchka, tshatshka, tshatshke, chochka, tshotshke, chotchke, chachke, tchatchka, chotchka, tchachke, chochke, chachka, tchatchke, tchatchke

Notes

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