Jewish English Lexicon

abi gezunt

"As long as you're healthy [you can be happy]."

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)

aroisgevorfene gelt

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

balaboosta

1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker

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)

bisl

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

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.

Borscht Belt

region in the Catskill Mountains with many summer resorts frequented by Jews, especially in the mid twentieth century

boychick

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

bubbe meise

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

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

bulvan

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

chaleria

Plague or cholera (literal or metaphorical)

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

Chelm

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

dreck

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

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.

farfufket

befuddled, taken aback, disoriented, confused

faribel

to have a grievance, to be aggrieved

grievance

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)

fluden

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

fress

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

gezunterheyt

"Fine, go ahead" (ironic).

lit., while in good health

ghattis

derogatory term for working-class or boorish Afrikaaner person

golem

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

gribines

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

Hak mir nisht keyn tshaynik

Literally, don't knock a teakettle at me

Stop annoying me

Don't bother me

hazarai

traif (non-kosher) food

"Junk, trash" (Rosten)

junk food

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.

kaddishl

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

kasha

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

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)

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)

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.

Kratsmach

Tongue-in-cheek way of referring to "Christmas," especially among Jews who want to avoid uttering the name of Christ.

kuntz

feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity

peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)

strategy (Weiser)

kvell

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

kvetch

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

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.

linker

leftist, socialist, secularist

lobbus

a young mischievous person with a lot of chutzpah

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

lokh in cup

"hole in the head"(Rosten)

maidel

girl

make

To urinate or defecate

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)

mayofes

a servile person (see note below)

mechaye

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

mechuten

the father of one's child's spouse

mechuteneste

the mother of one's child's spouse

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)

nebach

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

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.

nishtikeit

a nobody

no-goodnik

bad person, scoundrel (sometimes humorous or affectionate)

noch

still, yet, moreover

noodge

verb: bore, pester, nag

noun: pest, whiner

ongeblozzen

puffed-up; haughty; conceited

pouting

ongepotchket

overly elaborate, excessively decorated, slapped together senselessly

ongeshnosket

inebriated, drunk

oy vey iz mir

woe is me

pachech

a complainer

patsh

to give a light slap

a smack (playful)

pekel

little bundle

pish

urine

urinate

pishachs

(vulgar) urine, piss

pisher, little pisher

a diminutive that combines amusement, admiration and annoyance

polkeys

thighs (esp. of a chicken or baby)

prost

coarse, base, not classy, vulgar, common

pupik

Navel, belly button

pushke

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

schlemiel

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

schlemozel

The constant butt of idiotic or unfortunate happenings

schmaltz

"Rendered chicken fat." (JPS)

schmegege

"An unadmirable, petty person" (Rosten)

schmonzes

idle talk

small pieces of valueless decorative bric-a-brac

schnorr

to beg, to request money

to get something for free, to mooch

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)

shayna punim

pretty face

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)

shicker

tipsy/drunk

shissel

A bowl, especially for mixing

shlump

an unkempt person, a loser

shmais

a Lubavitch news website: http://shmais.com/

Whack, wallop, smack

shmecky

child-appropriate word for penis

affectionate term used to describe a child, often connoting silly or slightly naughty behavior

shpatzir

literally 'to walk, take a stroll'; figuratively 'to delay, tarry, procrastinate'

shpilkes

nervous energy, restlessness. Lit. 'pins'

shtup

noun, the act of sexual intercourse

verb, have sexual intercourse

shvartsa

black person, [lit. "black"]. Often considered offensive in English.

taka

(can also be used ironically)

Is that so? Really, actually, indeed, "in consideration of all the information available" (Weiser)

tam

taste

tate

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

dad

tsekrochen

slovenly, [feeling] feeble or fragile, usually owing to minor illness or a night of excess.

tsemisht

mixed-up, confused

tsorris

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

tsu gezunt

a response after another person sneezes (analogous to "bless you")

tuches afn tisch

lay your cards on the table [lit. "backside on the table"]

tumler

"A funmaker, a 'live wire,' a clown, a prankster, the 'life of the party." (Rosten)

ungepatchke

overdone, tacky, ostentatious, overcomplicated. "Excessively and unaesthetically decorated; overly baroque." (Rosten)

vantz

bedbug

varem

warm, kind-hearted, friendly

vilde chaye

a rambunctious or wild person [lit. 'wild animal']

yachna

a talkative or gossipy woman

"a female meddler or busybody" (Steinmetz)

yenevelt

the world to come, hereafter

a far away place

yenta

"A scandal spreader, a rumormongerer." (Rosten). Usually applied to women.

yold

fool, dupe

Yoshke

an irreverent or derogatory name for Jesus Christ

a nickname for Yosef or Yehoshua (archaic Yiddish form)

yungerman

a married male learning in Kollel, as opposed to working for a living.

a young man

zaftig

pleasantly plump, buxom, lit. "juicy"

zei gezunt

be healthy, be well; farewell!

(humorous) a recommendation for greater sophistication or awareness: "get real"

zitsfleysh

lit. "sitting-flesh" : 'the ability to sit down for a long period fo time'