Jewish English Lexicon

a long life

Used to greet a mourner after someone has died.

alte kaker

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

Ashkenazic

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

bagel

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

bageling

Inserting a Jewish phrase or concept into a conversation in order to indicate that one is Jewish or to determine whether the other person is Jewish.

Identifying another person as a Jew.

Be well

Closing to a letter or conversation: Take care, be healthy

bris

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

Chabad

an outreach-oriented branch of Hasidic Judaism that follows the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Chabad has thousands of branches around the world, including at many college campuses.

challah

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

chuppah

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

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

chutzpah

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

guts (positive)

"A made descendent of the family of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. Aaron and his descendants were consecrated to the service of God... in the Tabernacle... in the desert and later the Holy Temple" (Steinmetz). Often poorly translated as "priest," though the term "Levite" or "Aaronite" is more accurate, especially due to Christian usage (Steinmetz).

dreidel

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

farkakte

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

farmisht

mixed up, confused, crazy

feigele

gay man

from your mouth to God's ears

response to a good wish or blessing that mentions future events: I want that to happen, but I'm not sure it will.

futz

waste time (usually "futz around")

tinker with; make small changes

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.]

gefrunzled

slighted, insulted, feeling unappreciated

gesheft

business

gey schluffen

Go to sleep!

gezunterheyt

lit., while in good health

"Fine, go ahead" (ironic).

glitch

flaw; slight problem in a process

good yom-tov

standard holiday greeting

goy

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

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

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).

heimish

2. Haredi Orthodox

3. at home, comfortable

1. familiar, homey, informal, cozy, warm

Jewishness

Ethnic or cultural Jewish identity, as distinct from "Judaism"

The quality of being a Jew, not limited to (nor necessarily excluding) religion, ethnicity, biology, or nationality.

kasha varnishkes

kasha (buckwheat groats) with bowtie noodles

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.

kitke

braided egg-bread eaten on the Sabbath (known as challah elsewhere)

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)

knish

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

kosher

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

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)]

lashon hara

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

latka

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

lobbus

a young mischievous person with a lot of chutzpah

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

lox

smoked salmon

macher

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

Manischewitz

sweet brand of wine often used by American Jews for ritual purposes

matzah brei

fried matzah pieces mixed with eggs, usually eaten on Passover

maven

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

mazel

luck (good)

congratulations

mazel tov

congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]

mazume

"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)

"A group of three or more adult males who join together to recite the after-meal blessings..." (Steinmetz).

mechula

broke, bust, bankrupt, spoiled

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

mensch

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

meshuga

crazy

mishegoss

"Foolishness, nonsense, craziness." (JPS)

nebbish

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

no-goodnik

bad person, scoundrel (sometimes humorous or affectionate)

noodge

verb: bore, pester, nag

noun: pest, whiner

nosh

to snack or eat; a snack

nudnik

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

oirik

Derogatory reference to a non-Jewish male, especially a common labourer

oy

exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise

oy vey

exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise

pastrami

Smoked, seasoned deli meat

payos

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

pish

urine

urinate

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"]

prakes

Stuffed cabbage, also known by holiptshes, goluptshes, and golomkes, among other names

punim

face

putz

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

putzing, putzed

wasting time [offensive]

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)