Showing 97 of 97 words, page 1 of 1
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abi gezunt
"As long as you're healthy [you can be happy]."
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arbes
Boiled chickpeas
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aroisgevorfene gelt
"a waste of money"; lit., thrown out money.
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balaboosta
1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker
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batlan
"naive, impractical person" (Steinmetz)
"Someone without a trade or regular means of livelihood" (Rosten).
"One who consistently wastes time: Bum, FaineĢant" (Weiser).
"A misfit, such as a Talmud student of no promise" (Rosten).
"Someone with intellectual pretensions and half-baked ideas" (Rosten).
"Layabout" (Glinert)
"An unemployed or lazy man" (Rosten).
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biz hundert un tsvantsik
[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.
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boychick
"A young boy...equivalent of the American expression 'buddy'" (JPS)
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boydem
attic
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bubbale
sweetie, darling [term of endearment]
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bubbe
grandmother
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bubbe meise
"Something of little importance, an inconsequential thing or minor happening." (JPS)
"old wive's tale"; an untrue story, sometimes related to superstition
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bulvan
loud mouth know-it-all; "a boorish, brutish person" (Steinmetz)
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chrain
A spicy paste made from grated horseradish.
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chrein
horseradish
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chutzpahdik
impertinent
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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)
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einikel
grandchild
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ess
Eat
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farchadat
"confused; dazed; stunned" (Steinmetz)
"Dizzy, confused, dopey, 'punchy.'" (Rosten)
"Having a headache." (Rosten)
"Smitten, charmed, beguiled." (Rosten)
"Surprised, stunned, shocked." (Rosten)
"Confused, distracted, mixed up." (JPS)
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farfel
a side dish including bits of noodle, often sauteed with vegetables and beef or chicken stock
noodle pellets
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farmisht
mixed up, confused, crazy
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frosk
a slap
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gantseh
entire, complete
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geferlech
Dangerous, terrible
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gelt
Money (slang usage)
"The foil wrapped chocolate coins that are a traditional Hanukkah treat for children." (JPS)
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genug
enough
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geschrei
yell, shout
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geshmak
delicious, delightful
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gevald
an interjection of alarm
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gey avek
"Go away!"
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gorgel
neck, throat (generally of poultry)
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goyish
"in the manner or style of a non-Jewish person" (JPS), especially something WASPy or "white bread"
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gurnisht
"nothing, zilch, zero" (JPS)
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gut voch
"Good week!" Ashkenazi greeting at the conclusion of the Sabbath.
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gut yontef
"Happy holiday!" Ashkenazi greeting used on any of the holidays, including Rosh Hashanahh and Yom Kippur.
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gut yor
"Good year!" Ashkenazi greeting on Rosh Hashanah.
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Hak mir nisht keyn tshaynik
Don't bother me
Literally, don't knock a teakettle at me
Stop annoying me
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handl
to bargain, do business
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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)
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khnyok
a sanctimonious, holier-than-thou religious person
an unkempt or slovenly person
a mean or bigoted person
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kishka
"Stuffed derma: a sausagelike comestible of meat, flour, and spices stuffed into intestine casing and baked" (Rosten) Also, "guts," literally, Slavic. (Wikipedia)
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kochleffel
A cooking spoon, as for soup. By extension, a person who stirs up trouble; meddler, busybody.
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kreplach
(meat-) stuffed dumplings usually served in soup; Jewish wontons
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kuntz
feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity
peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)
strategy (Weiser)
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kvater
one of the people honored to hold the baby at a circumcision ceremony; godfather
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kvell
feel or express pride, "to be extraordinarily pleased" (JPS)
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kvetch
"to chronically complain or gripe to others over minor issues" (JPS)
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l'hachis
spitefully; deliberately; literally "in order to anger"
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leibedik
lively, enthusiastic; warm, heartfelt
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lekech
"Honey cake, traditionally served on Rosh Hashanah... made with honey, eggs, cinnamon, and, often, coffee" (JPS).
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ligner
liar
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linker
leftist, socialist, secularist
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lokshen
noodles
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luftmensch
"an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income" (Merriam-Webster)
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mazume
"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)
"A group of three or more adult males who join together to recite the after-meal blessings..." (Steinmetz).
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mechuten
the father of one's child's spouse, though can sometimes be used to refer to the grandfather of one's grandchild's spouse.
In laws, more generally (http://www.pass.to/glossary/gloz2.htm#letm).
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mechuteneste
the mother of one's child's spouse
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naches
"Proud pleasure, special joy--particularly from the achievements of a child... 2. Psychological reward or gratification." (Rosten)
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nebbish
noun: nerdy, clumsy, awkward person. "An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless, or hapless unfortunate" (Rosten)
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noch
still, yet, moreover
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nosherai
snacks
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ongepotchket
overly elaborate, excessively decorated, slapped together senselessly, overdone, tacky, ostentatious, overcomplicated.
"Excessively and unaesthetically decorated; overly baroque." (Rosten)
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oysgeputst
dressed-up, decked out in finery (Steinmetz), overembellished.
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patshke
"1. To fuss or "mess around" inefficiently and inexpertly. 2. To dawdle, to waste time." (Rosten)
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pekel
little bundle
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pintele yid
"essential Jewishness"
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pisk
(vulgar) snout, grimace (Steinmetz)
Colloquialism: an eloquent or garrulous speaker. (Rosten)
mouth, loud-mouth, similar to English slang "trap" for mouth.
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pitseleh
little one, dear
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prost
coarse, base, not classy, vulgar, common
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pushke
"The little container...in which money to be donated to charity is accumulated." (Rosten)
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schlimazel
Unlucky person; the constant butt of idiotic or unfortunate happenings
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schmegege
"An untalented loser; a whiner; a petty person" (JPS).
"An unadmirable, petty person" (Rosten)
"silly or stupid person; simpleton; nitwit" (Steinmetz)
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schnorrer
a begger, a parasite. "A moocher" (JPS)
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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)
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shlump
an unkempt person, a loser
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shnook
"An incompetent person who is deserving of pity but also likable" (JPS); "A customer easily persuaded, a sucker." (H.L. Mencken, American Language)
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shpatzir
literally 'to walk, take a stroll'; figuratively 'to delay, tarry, procrastinate'
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tate
dad
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tsedreyt
mixed up, twisted, distorted, turned around
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veiter
"Further; next." (Steinmetz)
"More distant: Farther." (Weiser)
"At a more advanced point: Further." (Weiser)
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Yekke
A Jew who behaves according to the stereotype of Jews of German heritage: punctual and concerned with details.
A Jew of German heritage
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yold
fool, dupe
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yontif
a Jewish holiday, especially one on which work is prohibited (in contrast to chol hamoed)
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zaftig
pleasantly plump, buxom, lit. "juicy"
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