Jewish English Lexicon

abi gezunt

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

aderaba

certainly, by all means; I certainly don't object

on the contrary

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

belfer

assistant teacher of children in a Hebrew school or cheyder

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

"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)

bulvan

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

chacham

wiseguy

rabbi (Sephardi)

wise, learned person; genius

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).

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)

farbissiner

adj. embittered, sullen, mean

n. sourpuss, mean person

farfufket

befuddled, taken aback, disoriented, confused

faribel

to have a grievance, to be aggrieved

grievance

fartootst

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

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

gelt

Money (slang usage)

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

gezinta

a big healthy girl (or the adjective denoting such)

a sexy lady

gezunterheyt

"Fine, go ahead" (ironic).

lit., while in good health

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.

Hak mir nisht keyn tshaynik

Literally, don't knock a teakettle at me

Stop annoying me

Don't bother me

hamentaschen

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

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").

Kahal

(the people of) a Jewish community

Synagogue, shul, congregation

kasha

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

kasha varnishkes

kasha (buckwheat groats) with bowtie noodles

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.

kreplach

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

kugel

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

The South African equivalent of a "Jewish American Princess"

kuntz

feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity

peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)

strategy (Weiser)

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"

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

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

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

a mischievous person, often a child

mechuten

the father of one's child's spouse

mechuteneste

the mother of one's child's spouse

mieskeit

ugliness

someone/something ugly

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.

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

ongepotchket

overly elaborate, excessively decorated, slapped together senselessly

oy vey iz mir

woe is me

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

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

idle talk

small pieces of valueless decorative bric-a-brac

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)

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