Jewish English Lexicon

Adonai

"Literally, 'my Lord', another word for God." (JPS)

aleichem sholom

Peace be upon you. Response to "sholom aleichem"

alte kaker

elderly person, old-timer [literally "old shitter"] "A crotchety, fussy, ineffectual old man." (Rosten)

am haaretz

People of the land

Bumpkin, ignoramus, uneducated person

Vulgar, boorish person

amen

Agreed. "The word used at the end of prayer to signify affirmation." (Rosten)

apikoros

heretic, non-believer, especially one with great knowledge of Judaism

aroisgevorfene gelt

"a waste of money"; lit., thrown out money.

Ashkenazic

Adjectival form for 'Ashkenazim', "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France, and their descendants" (JPS)

averah

religious transgression (Glinert: "An aveirah is an infringement on the Torah, the opposite of a mitzvah.")

bagel

"A leavened, firm, doughnut shaped roll" (JPS)

balaboosta

1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker

balabotish

"Quiet; respectable; well mannered" (Rosten). "middle class"; normal

bar mitzvah

Jewish coming-of-age ceremony/celebration for a 13-year-old boy; the boy who has come of age.

beit din

A rabbinical court of law that makes judgments on matters of Jewish religious life, especially conversion and divorce.

JPS: "To recite a blessing. It usually refers to Birkat ha-Mazon, the Grace after Meals... The word can also refer to the reciting of any blessing; for example, the expression bentsch licht means to light Shabbat [or Chanukah] candles."

berya

"Complimentary term for a talented, competent, energetic woman, especially one who gets a lot done - and does it well - around the house." (JPS Dictionary of Words)

boychick

"A young boy...equivalent of the American expression 'buddy'" (JPS)

bracha

blessing (in the technical or figurative sense)

bris

circumcision ceremony; the celebration surrounding it. Lit. covenant.

bubbale

sweetie, darling [term of endearment]

bubbe

grandmother

bubbe meise

"Something of little importance, an inconsequential thing or minor happening." (JPS)

"old wive's tale"; an untrue story, sometimes related to superstition

bulvan

loud mouth know-it-all; "a boorish, brutish person" (Steinmetz)

bupkis

Nothing

Something worthless

challah

"The braided egg bread that traditionally is eaten on almost every Jewish holiday and [the Sabbath]" (JPS)

chaver

comrade, mister (in left-wing political organizations)

friend

chazan

The official at a synagogue who leads the congregation in prayer and song. (JPS)

chazir

1. pork 2. a pig, greedy person (JPS)

Chelm

from Yiddish literature/folklore, "The 'legendary' town inhabited by befuddled, stupid, foolish, but endearing people." (JPS). Also a real town in Poland (Chełmno).

chillul Hashem

disgracing God's name; an action that might be looked down upon; an action that might make Jews look bad

chuppah

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

"The Jewish wedding canopy; that is, the cloth under which the Jewish wedding ceremony is conducted." (JPS)

chutzpah

nerve, audacity, the quality of over-stepping boundries with no shame (negative)

guts (positive)

daven

pray; lead services

dybbuk

a spirit, "often thought to be the soul of a dead person, that wanders the earth looking for a living body to inhabit" (JPS)

Elohim/Elokim

"One of the many names used to refer to God" (JPS)

farbissiner

n. sourpuss, mean person

adj. embittered, sullen, mean

farblondzhet

Rosten: "Lost...mixed up, wandering about without any idea of where you are." Can refer to being physically or intellectually lost.

farshtunken(e)

literally 'stinking' (Rosten); contemptible

fartootst

"The state of being bewildered, disoriented, discombobulated; slightly more intense than tsedrayt." (Rosten)

feh!

an expression of disgust; "portraying...negative feelings" (Rosten)

feigele

gay man

fleishig

"The general term for food in the meat category, according to the Jewish dietary laws" (JPS)

fress

To gobble up food; to gorge oneself. "To eat quickly or noisily, like an animal" (JPS)

fresser

big eater, "pig". "A heavy eater." (JPS)

frum

religious; observant; Orthodox

gefilte fish

minced sweet or sour fish, cooked in balls or a log and sliced. [lit., "stuffed fish"(JPS), since the chopped fish used to be placed back in the fish for cooking.]

gelt

Money (slang usage)

"The foil wrapped chocolate coins that are a traditional Hanukkah treat for children." (JPS)

gemara

"A compilation of 300 years of rabbis' legal and ethical commentaries on the Mishnah...together, the Gemara and the Mishnah comprise the Talmud." (JPS)

gematria

"An ancient system of Hebrew numerology," (JPS), in which each Hebrew letter possesses a numerical value, allowing words or phrases to express possible "hidden" meaning (when one adds up the letters' values)

gesundheit

Health. (Bless you) - said in response to a sneeze.

get

a writ or deed of divorce

gevald

an interjection of alarm

glitch

flaw; slight problem in a process

golem

"A creature of Jewish medieval folklore, a golem is a figure made into the form of a human and given life." (JPS)

golus

literally "exile" (JPS); outside of the Land of Israel; away from a vibrant Jewish community; the time period since the destruction of the Second Temple at Jerusalem (Glinert)

gonif

thief

goy

"most often used among Jews to refer to someone who is not a Jew" (JPS)

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

goyish

"in the manner or style of a non-Jewish person" (JPS), especially something WASPy or "white bread"

goyishe kop

Someone who fails to use his/her head; a dull mind. Someone who thinks like a non-Jew. Lit. "non-Jewish head."

haftorah

"A reading from the biblical book of Prophets that is recited in synagogue immediately following the reading of the Torah" (JPS)

haggadah

"The small book of liturgy, prayers, songs, and rituals used at a Pesach seder" (JPS)

Hak mir nisht keyn tshaynik

Literally, don't knock a teakettle at me

Stop annoying me

Don't bother me

halacha

"Jewish law" (JPS)

halevai

"Would that it be so" (Steinmetz, Yiddish and English)

I wish!

If only

hamentaschen

"Small, triangular-shaped cookies filled with fruit or jam that are eaten on Purim" (JPS)

hanukkah

The winter-time festival that commemorates the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt in the second century B.C.E. (lit. "dedication")

Hasid

Pious person

Adherent of a Hasidic Jewish group ("A mystical religious movement founded in Poland" (JPS)

A disciple of a rabbi, not only a member of a Hasidic group.

A follower in a non-religious sense (ironic).

hatikvah

literally "the hope." "The Israeli national anthem." (Glinert)

havdalah

"literally 'separation'. The ceremony that marks the end of [the Sabbath] on Saturday evening" (JPS)

hazarai

junk food

traif (non-kosher) food

"Junk, trash" (Rosten)

heimish

3. at home, comfortable

1. familiar, homey, informal, cozy, warm

2. Haredi Orthodox

hock

"to bother incessantly: ANNOY" (Weiser)

Kabbalah

a Jewish mystical work, sometimes used as a catch-all term for Jewish mysticism. "The Jewish mystical tradition" (JPS)

kaddishl

A son who will say kaddish for a parent (literally, "little kaddish").

kallah

bride

Jewish communal gathering, conference

kaparot

Ritual performed between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to remove sins carried out by swinging a chicken over ones head.

keinehora

"no evil eye" (Rosten). "An expression said to ward off the evil eye or bad luck in general; the verbal equivalent of knocking on wood." (JPS)

kibbitz

"To socialize aimlessly...To carry on a running commentary" (Rosten)

kibbitzer

Someone who "gives unasked-for advice ... especially as a bystander-observer at a game (bridge, poker, checkers, chess)." (Rosten)

Someone who jokes, fools around.

kibbutz

"[Israeli agricultural] collective" (Glinert) Most settlements in Israeli which originally began as kibbutzim now function as regular municipalities.

kike

A derogatory slur for a Jewish person.

kinder

"children" (Rosten)

kishka

"Stuffed derma: a sausagelike comestible of meat, flour, and spices stuffed into intestine casing and baked" (Rosten) Also, "guts," literally, Slavic. (Wikipedia)

klezmer

"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)

klutz

"clumsy, slow-witted...person" (Rosten)

knaidel

matzah ball; "a dumpling made of matzah meal meal and beaten eggs, usually served in chicken broth, often at the Pesach seder" (JPS)

Knesset

Israel's parliament

knish

Eastern European dumpling with thin dough filled with potato, kasha, onion, meat, and/or other ingredients

kochleffel

A cooking spoon, as for soup. By extension, a person who stirs up trouble; meddler, busybody.

kosher

"acceptable according to Jewish [ritual] law" (JPS); "trustworthy, reliable" (Rosten); acceptable according to dietary laws

kugel

Baked pudding or casserole made with eggs and various ingredients, including noodles, potatoes, or spinach

The South African equivalent of a "Jewish American Princess"

kurveh

(profane) whore, slut, bitch

kvell

feel or express pride, "to be extraordinarily pleased" (JPS)

kvetch

"to chronically complain or gripe to others over minor issues" (JPS)

l'chaim

traditional toast. [lit. "to life" (Rosten)]

Ladino

Judeo-Spanish language

landsman

Someone who comes from the same or nearby hometown, especially if one or both of you no longer lives there and all the more so if one or both now live far away from home, in which case an entire region (e.g., metro NY) or country e.g., Poland) may be the point of connection.

lokshen

noodles

lox

smoked salmon

maariv

the evening prayer

macher

"1. Someone who arranges, fixes, has connections...someone who is [very] active in an organization" (Rosten) "important person", "hot shot"

magen david

"star of david", a symbol that has commonly been associated with Jews and Judaism; [lit. "shield of david"]

mame-loshn

"mother tongue", usually refers to Yiddish

mamzer

bastard [see note]; "A detestable [person] like the colloquial English "He's a bastard"" (Rosten)

matzoh

unleavened bread eaten on Passover

maven

"An expert or connoisseur; a specialist" (JPS)

mazel

congratulations

luck (good)

mazel tov

congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]

mechaye

"Pleasure, enjoyment, a real joy" (Rosten); something that gives great joy

mechuten

the father of one's child's spouse

menorah

candelabrum, especially for Chanukah

mensch

"An upright, honorable, a decent person." (Rosten)

meshuga

crazy

mezuzah

a piece of parchment with the Shema written on it that is then placed in a case and mounted on doorways in keeping with the Biblical commandment mentioned in the Shema

midrash

stories or explanations that interpret or ellaborate on the Torah's text.

mikvah

"Ritual bath" (JPS)

milchig

"...food in the "dairy" category, according to the Jewish dietary laws...also refers to the utensils and dishes used for cooking, eating, and serving milk products." (JPS)

mishegoss

"Foolishness, nonsense, craziness." (JPS)

Mishnah

an authoritative collection of exegetical material embodying the oral tradition of Jewish law and forming the first part of the Talmud.

mishpacha

"Literally, "family". ...The word conveys a warm feeling of friendship." (JPS)

mitzvah

good deed

Literally, "commandment"

mohel

A person trained to perform Jewish ritual circumcision

moshiach

The Messiah

nebach

interjection, adverb: "unfortunately"; noun: an unfortunate person

nebbish

noun: nerdy, clumsy, awkward person. "An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless, or hapless unfortunate" (Rosten)

no-goodnik

bad person, scoundrel (sometimes humorous or affectionate)

noch

still, yet, moreover

noodge

verb: bore, pester, nag

noun: pest, whiner

nosh

to snack or eat; a snack

nu

so what?; so?; hurry up already

nudnik

"A pest, a nag, an annoyer, a monumental bore." (Rosten)

olav ha-sholom

"peace be upon him"; said of someone who is deceased

ongepotchket

overly elaborate, excessively decorated, slapped together senselessly

parve

1. neither milk nor meat; 2. uninteresting, plain, generic

patsh

to give a light slap

a smack (playful)

patshke

"1. To fuss or "mess around" inefficiently and inexpertly. 2. To dawdle, to waste time." (Rosten)

payos

Sidelocks, sidecurls, or earlocks, common among Haredi boys and men.

Pesach

The Jewish Holiday of Passover

pisher, little pisher

a diminutive that combines amusement, admiration and annoyance

prost

coarse, base, not classy, vulgar, common

pupik

Navel, belly button

Purim

A joyous holiday that takes place in February or March on the 14th of Adar, retelling the story of the Book of Esther.

pushke

"The little container...in which money to be donated to charity is accumulated." (Rosten)

putz

"A fool, an ass, a jerk." (Rosten) [lit. "penis"]

rachmones

mercy

reb

"sir"; "mister"

rebbe

the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect

rebetzin

wife of a rabbi

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish new year

rov

A particularly notable rabbi; a halachic decisor

schach

branches or bamboo used to cover a sukkah

schlemiel

idiot; contemptible person. "Clumsy, bungling person." (Steinmetz)

schlemozel

The constant butt of idiotic or unfortunate happenings

schlep

To travel from one place to another when one would prefer not to

"To carry, lug" (JPS)

An annoyingly long journey

schmaltzy

"Overly sentimental or romantic." (JPS)

schmear

to spread; cream cheese

schmegege

"An unadmirable, petty person" (Rosten)

schmooze

to make small talk or informally chat; to network, kiss up

schnapps

"A strong, dry liquor." (JPS)

schnorr

to get something for free, to mooch

to beg, to request money

schnorrer

a begger, a parasite. "A moocher" (JPS)

sechel

"Common sense" (JPS), intelligence

seder

A ceremony involving recitations, singing, food, and drink typically associated with Passover, but also with Tu B'shvat and Rosh Hashanah.

period for Torah study

order, orderliness, system, routine

Sephardic

Jews whose ancestors came from the Iberian Peninsula before the Jewish expulsion

Shabbos

the Jewish Sabbath

Shabbos goy

"A non-Jew who by prearrangement performs chores [that are forbidden] for a Jew on the Sabbath or holidays." (Steinmetz)

shadchen

matchmaker

shalom

hello, goodbye, peace

shamash

1. candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles

2. the caretaker of a synagogue.

3. personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry

shehecheyanu

the blessing of thanksgiving that celebrates reaching a celebratory moment or marking a significant first

sheitel

wig; worn by some observant jewish women after marriage. "A wig worn by strictly Orthodox...women as a [hair] covering." (Steinberg)

shema

prayer recited in most services as well as at bedtime, and when death is imminent; one of the most important and well-known prayers in Judaism

sheygets

"1. A non-Jewish boy. 2. An impudent youth or man. 3. An irreligious or nonobservant Jew. The term is often regarded as disparaging." (Steinmetz)

shidduch

arranged spousal match

mate

a date in the process of finding one's spouse

match

shiksa

"1. A non-Jewish girl. 2. A housemaid. 3. An irreligious or nonobservant Jewish girl. The term is often regarded as disparaging." (Steinmetz)

shivah

week-long period of mourning after the death of a relative, during which close relatives stay at home and greet visitors. mourners traditionally sit on low stools during this time, so someone in mourning is said to be 'sitting shiva'.

shlock

something cheap or inferior. "A shoddy, cheaply made article." (Rosten)

shlump

an unkempt person, a loser

shmendrik

jerk, stupid person

shmuck

annoying, irritating person (lit. penis)

shmutz

"Dirt, stain, or filth." (JPS)

shnook

"An incompetent person who is deserving of pity but also likable" (JPS); "A customer easily persuaded, a sucker." (H.L. Mencken, American Language)

shofar

ram's horn sounded during the month of elul, especially associated with rosh hashanah

shtetl

"A town for village with...Jewish inhabitants, commonly found in Eastern Europe before World War II." (Steinmetz)

shtickle

designation of second-class status, when applied to rabbis or other professionals.

a small amount; a little; a bit of (a)

shtunk

stinker, nasty person, smelly person, nickname for a smelly baby.

shul

synagogue

siddur

Jewish prayer book

smichah

"Rabbinic ordination" (Steinmetz)

Sukkot

The feast of the booths; a fall holiday when Jews live in makeshift huts to represent the time the Israelites spent wandering in the desert.

tachlis

practical details of a matter, "brass tacks" (as in, "Let's get down to brass tacks.")

purpose, aim

tallis

prayer shawl

Talmud

"The body of Jewish law and tradition comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara, compiled from about 30 B.C.E to about 500 C.E." (Steinmetz)

tate

little boy; especially when using diminutive tatele / tattele / tattaleh / tattale (in child-directed speech)

dad

tchotchke

trinket, knicknack

tefillin

"phylacteries"

Small black boxes containing sections of the shema attached to leather straps and worn around the head and arm during prayer.

Torah

Literally, "teaching". 1. The five books of moses. 2. Jewish law and values in general.

treif

(adj or noun) food prohibited by the jewish dietary laws

tsorris

"Troubles, woes, worries, suffering." (Rosten)

tzadik

Common name for the 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet (tzadi / tzade).

Someone who does extremely righteous deeds.

A highly learned and esteemed rabbinic leader (sometimes used as an alternative name for a Hasidic rebbe).