Jewish English Lexicon

[may you/he/she live] "until a hundred and twenty [years]" -- often used as a birthday wish for long life, or when mentioning a person who is getting on in years.

borscht

"Borshtsh" is the Russian word for beet soup. Among Jews soup made from beets is considered Polish borshtsh, while Russian borshtsh is made from cabbage.

"An Eastern European soup traditionally made with beets." (JPS)

boychick

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

bris

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

bubbe meise

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

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

One who is inept, clumsy, all thumbs, who fouls things up (Rosten) An actor "who talks as though he has a potato in his mouth"—that is, an actor who "blows" his lines, mixes them up, commits embarrassing spoonerisms, a malaprop.

bulvan

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

cement mixer

non-Jewish woman

chacham

rabbi (Sephardi)

wise, learned person; genius

wiseguy

chaleria

Plague or cholera (literal or metaphorical)

"wreck," in the phrase "nervous choleria." A person who behaves wildly or badly.

chashuv

Important; of high status

cheder

Hebrew and religious classes (often on Sundays) for elementary school children.

Chelm

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

chrein

horseradish

chutzpahdik

impertinent

da'as torah

Intuitive knowledge that comes from a lifetime of Torah study.

The authoritative wisdom of the tradition mediated by "gedolim" or great rabbis.

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)

einikel

grandchild

farbissiner

adj. embittered, sullen, mean

n. sourpuss, mean person

farfel

a side dish including bits of noodle, often sauteed with vegetables and beef or chicken stock

noodle pellets

farfufket

befuddled, taken aback, disoriented, confused

faribel

grievance

to have a grievance, to be aggrieved

farkakte

"lousy, messed up, ridiculous" (JPS) Shitty, full of crap.

farmisht

mixed up, confused, crazy

fartootst

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

feigele

gay man

flik

pluck feathers (e.g., from a chicken)

fluden

log-shaped pastry stuffed with apricot preserves, chopped dates, walnuts, and raisins

frei

(with the particle "out") to become non-religious, "go off the derekh"

free; liberal, non-religious, the opposite of frum

gantseh

entire, complete

geferlech

Dangerous, terrible

gelt

Money (slang usage)

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

genug

enough

geshmak

delicious, delightful

Geshmir

The entirety, all.

gevald

an interjection of alarm

gey avek

"Go away!"

gey schluffen

Go to sleep!

gezinta

a big healthy girl (or the adjective denoting such)

a sexy lady

gezunt

n. health

adj. healthy

gezunterheyt

"Fine, go ahead" (ironic).

lit., while in good health

gorgel

neck, throat (generally of poultry)

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."

gribines

Deep-fried skin of chicken or goose, often prepared with onion and schmatlz. Also called cracklings.

grizhidiker

nagging, annoying person

gurnisht

"nothing, zilch, zero" (JPS)

Gut Morgen

"Good morning!"

Hak mir nisht keyn tshaynik

Stop annoying me

Don't bother me

Literally, don't knock a teakettle at me

hamentaschen

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

handl

to bargain, do business

hazarai

junk food

traif (non-kosher) food

"Junk, trash" (Rosten)

helzel

chicken neck, poultry neck, stuffed poultry neck, the skin around the chicken's neck which is then stuffed

I wish you well to wear it

A saying uttered on seeing a friend or relative wearing a new garment or accessory. It is value-neutral, not implying that the garment is nice, just that it is new.

Imfargin

Begrudge

kaddishl

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

Kahal

(the people of) a Jewish community

Synagogue, shul, congregation

kalike

1. Cripple 2. Someone who is sickly 3. A clumsy person 4. A stupid ignorant man 5. An inept performer, a singer off-key, a pianist who hits the wrong notes, a waiter who spills the soup.

kasha

buckwheat groats, commonly served with bowtie noodles ('kasha varnishkes'); porridge

kasha varnishkes

kasha (buckwheat groats) with bowtie noodles

Katschke

A Duck

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)

keppy

head, little head (informal, diminutive, often in child-directed speech)

khremzl

"A fried fritter or latke, made of matzah meal and eggs, that may be stuffed with ground meat, nuts, or fruit. An old-fashioned Pesach recipe." (JPS Dictionary)

kichel

small cookie or biscuit

cookies (plural)

kimmel

"kimmel bread" is rye bread with caraway seeds on top

kishka

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

kishkas

Intestines, gut

klafte

a naughty or nasty woman; a bitch

knaidel

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

kochleffel

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

kreplach

(meat-) stuffed dumplings usually served in soup; Jewish wontons

kugel

The South African equivalent of a "Jewish American Princess"

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

kuntz

strategy (Weiser)

feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity

peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)

kurveh

(profane) whore, slut, bitch

kvater

one of the people honored to hold the baby at a circumcision ceremony; godfather

kvell

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

kvetch

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

l'hachis

spitefully; deliberately; literally "in order to anger"

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.

lapa

An animal's paw, dirty hands, especially that of a child or a lascivious man.

latka

"a potato pancake [fried in oil traditionally eaten on Chanukah]" (Rosten)

leibedik

lively, enthusiastic; warm, heartfelt

lekvar

prune filling

ligner

liar

linker

leftist, socialist, secularist

lobbus

a young mischievous person with a lot of chutzpah

a rascal, mischievous or cheeky child (usually a boy)

lokshen

noodles

luftmensch

"an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income" (Merriam-Webster)

mayofes

a servile person (see note below)

mazik

a mischievous person, often a child

(with verb "to be") to ruin partially; damage (Yeshivish usage)

mechuten

In laws, more generally (http://www.pass.to/glossary/gloz2.htm#letm).

the father of one's child's spouse, though can sometimes be used to refer to the grandfather of one's grandchild's spouse.

mechuteneste

the mother of one's child's spouse

mieskeit

someone/something ugly

ugliness

mish

verb. To mix; to eat at other families' houses during the week of Passover.

mutche

harass, torment, bother, annoy, nag

(obsolete) to struggle financially

naches

"Proud pleasure, special joy--particularly from the achievements of a child... 2. Psychological reward or gratification." (Rosten)

narishkeit

"1. Foolishness 2. A triviality" (Rosten)

nebbish

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

nicht shabbos geret

Not to speak of on Shabbat (used when a subject is not suitable for the Holy Shabbat, primarily business and money manners, to indicate that one shouldn't discuss it). Usually followed by a short comment about the "forbidden" subject.

Nisht do gedacht

Exclamation, It shouldn't happen.

nishtikeit

a nobody

no-goodnik

bad person, scoundrel (sometimes humorous or affectionate)

noch

still, yet, moreover

noodge

verb: bore, pester, nag

noun: pest, whiner

nosherai

snacks

okh un vey

"a pity on him"

an unenviable position

ongeblozzen

puffed-up; haughty; conceited

pouting (can have a sense of about to cry)

ongepotchket

overly elaborate, excessively decorated, slapped together senselessly

orel

A goy (contemptuous, pejorative).

oy vey iz mir

woe is me

oysgeputst

dressed-up, decked out in finery (Steinmetz), overembellished.

pachech

a complainer

patshke

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

pekel

little bundle

pintele yid

"essential Jewishness"

pish

urine

urinate

pishachs

(vulgar) urine, piss

pisher, little pisher

a diminutive that combines amusement, admiration and annoyance

pisk

(vulgar) snout, grimace (Steinmetz)

mouth, loud-mouth, similar to English slang "trap" for mouth.

Colloquialism: an eloquent or garrulous speaker. (Rosten)

Pitseleh

Little one, dear

plotz

"1. To split, to burst, to explode. 2. " To be aggravated beyond bearing" (Rosten) [lit. "to explode"]

prost

coarse, base, not classy, vulgar, common

pushke

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

schlemozel

The constant butt of idiotic or unfortunate happenings

schlissel

key

schmegege

"An unadmirable, petty person" (Rosten)

schmonzes

small pieces of valueless decorative bric-a-brac

idle talk

schnoder

"to pledge a donation" (Steinmetz).

schnorr

to get something for free, to mooch

to beg, to request money

schnorrer

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

shaina maidel

pretty girl

well-behaved girl (female equivalent of mensch, which is sometimes used just for males but is often used for males and females)

Shayach

Pertinent, relevant (Steinmetz).

1. Capable of being true or believable: Conceivable. / 2. Capable of being done: Surmountable / 3. Practical, reasonable, or possible: Feasible. (Weiser)

shayna punim

pretty face

sheymes

n., such content

adj., of or relating to printed material, such as a book or even an audio recording, that contains the name of God, and therefore must not be erased, put on the floor, etc., out of respect for the Divine Name