Jewish English Lexicon

bagel

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

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."

bikur cholim

visiting the sick

bisl

"a little bit of something, a tiny piece" (JPS)

blech

an electric hot plate or "sheet of metal that can be placed over the burners on a stove to retain heat, so that precooked food...can be kept warm during the Sabbath." (JPS)

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)

bracha

blessing (in the technical or figurative sense)

bris

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

bubbe

grandmother

bupkis

Something worthless

Nothing

challah

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

chazan

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

chazer

"go over; review" (Weiser)

chazir

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

cholent

"A slow-cooked stew made of beef, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables. Cholent is a common Sabbath dish..." (JPS)

chuppah

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

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

daven

pray; lead services

davka

even; despite expectations to the contrary -- often with a slightly amused or ironic feeling of "wouldn't you know it?" or "of all things" ("of all people" ... etc.)

just to annoy, just to be contrary

"definitely or exactly stated; specifically" (Weiser)

derech eretz

Participating in modern society.

"Good conduct; normal, polite behavior in a social setting." (JPS). Manners, respect.

drash

n. sermon, interpretation of text

v. give a sermon, discuss an interpretation of the text

dreck

"Trash, junk, garbage; cheap or worthlesss things." (Rosten), sh*t

dreidel

"A small, four-sided spinning top used in a game during Chanukah" (JPS); the top itself

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)

emunah

"faith"; sometimes contrasted with practical striving in the material world

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.

farbrengen

Noun: a gathering or celebration that includes a spiritual or religious component.

Verb: to hold such a gathering or celebration.

feh!

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

fleishig

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

forshpayz

"appetizers" (JPS)

freilach

adj: happy, merry

noun: (frailach or freylekhs) a lively song/dance performed at simchas

fress

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

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

Money (slang usage)

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)

geshmak

delicious, delightful

glatt

Showing consistency of reason (Weiser).

Super-kosher (not only of food), or acceptable to the Haredi community.

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

good Shabbos

Literally, "Good Sabbath" (JPS); standard Sabbath greeting

goy

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

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

goyish

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

grager

a noise maker used on Purim to drown out the name of Haman; something that makes a lot of noise

gurnisht

"nothing, zilch, zero" (JPS)

haftorah

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

halacha

"Jewish law" (JPS)

hamentaschen

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

hazarai

junk food

traif (non-kosher) food

"Junk, trash" (Rosten)

heimish

1. familiar, homey, informal, cozy, warm

2. Haredi Orthodox

3. at home, comfortable

kavanah

"Attention to the meaning, spirit, and purpose of words" (Weiser)

intent

kehillah

"A Jewish community" (JPS)

kinder

"children" (Rosten)

klezmer

"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)

koved

"honor, dignity, respect" (JPS)

kuntz

feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity

peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)

strategy (Weiser)

kvetch

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

l'chaim

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

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.

lashon hara

"gossip" (lit. "evil tongue") (JPS)

latka

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

lokh in cup

"hole in the head"(Rosten)

lokshen

noodles

lox

smoked salmon

macher

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

mamaleh

diminutive term for a young girl [lit. 'little mama']

mame-loshn

"mother tongue", usually refers to Yiddish

mamzer

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

matzah brei

fried matzah pieces mixed with eggs, usually eaten on Passover

mazel tov

congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]

megillah

one of the five books that compose kethuvim--writings--in Tanakh; can also refer to the physical scroll on which one is written; a long, engrossing story or description

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)

mishpacha

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

narishkeit

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

nebbish

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

neshama

soul

nosh

to snack or eat; a snack

nu

so what?; so?; hurry up already

ongepotchket

overly elaborate, excessively decorated, slapped together senselessly

parve

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

payos

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

pisher, little pisher

a diminutive that combines amusement, admiration and annoyance

punim

face

pushke

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

rachmones

mercy

rebbe

the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect

rugelach

"Bite-size crescent-shaped pastries, rolled around a variety of fillings, including chopped raisins and walnuts, apple, raspberry, [chocolate] or mun, topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar" (JPS)

schlemiel

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

schlep

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

"To carry, lug" (JPS)

An annoyingly long journey

schmaltz

"Rendered chicken fat." (JPS)

schmaltzy

"Overly sentimental or romantic." (JPS)

schmear

to spread; cream cheese

schnapps

"A strong, dry liquor." (JPS)

schnorrer

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

schvitz

sweat (v., n.)

steam bath (n.)

sechel

"Common sense" (JPS), intelligence

sefer

"A literary composition written particularly of, on, or about the Torah" (Weiser)

Hebrew or Aramaic book

seforim

Religious books written in Hebrew or Aramaic.

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

shalech manes

Gifts for friends, traditionally given on Purim. Typically, a basket with food requiring two separate brachas in it.

shayna punim

pretty face

sheitel

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

Shemoneh Esrei

another name for the Amida, the central prayer during Jewish services. [lit. 'eighteen', the number of blessings it originally had]

shidduch

a date or match, often leading to marriage. "The matching up of a man and a woman for purposes of marriage; a match. In popular usage, any match or alliance, as in The shidduch between the two organization was a success." (Steinberg)