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
      • 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).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

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

Notes

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