Yiddish words used in English

It has been suggested that this article be merged into List of English words of Yiddish origin. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2024.

Yiddish words used in the English language include both words that have been assimilated into English – used by both Yiddish and English speakers – and many that have not. An English sentence that uses either may be described by some as Yinglish,^[1] though a secondary sense of the term describes the distinctive way certain Jews in English-speaking countries add many Yiddish words into their conversation, beyond general Yiddish words and phrases used by English speakers.^{[citation needed]}

In this meaning, Yinglish is not the same as Yeshivish, which is spoken by many Orthodox Jews, though the two share many parallels.^{[citation needed]}

Yiddish[edit]

Many of these words have not been assimilated into English and are unlikely to be understood by English speakers who do not have substantial Yiddish knowledge. Leo Rosten's book The Joys of Yiddish^[2] explains these words (and many more) in detail.

Primarily Ashkenazi Orthodox Jews will use Yiddish, Hebrew, or Aramaic words while speaking a version of English.^{[citation needed]}

As with Yiddish, Yinglish has no set transliteration standard; as the primary speakers of Yinglish are, by definition, Anglophones (whether first-language or not), Yinglish used in running speech tends to be transliterated using an English-based orthography. This, however, varies, sometimes in the same sentence. For instance, the word פֿאַרקאַקטע may be spelled farkakte, ferkockte, verkackte, among others. In its roots, though, Yiddish (whether used as English slang or not) is fundamentally mediaeval High German; although mediaeval German suffered from the same vagaries in spelling, it later became standardised in Modern High German.^{[citation needed]} This list shall use the same conventions as Modern High German, with the exception of certain words, the spellings of which have been standardised. Furthermore, common nouns shall be left lowercase, as in English.

Yinglish[edit]

Yinglish words (also referred to colloquially as Hebronics) are neologisms created by speakers of Yiddish in English-speaking countries, sometimes to describe things that were uncommon in the old country. Leo Rosten's book The Joys of Yiddish^[3] uses the words Yinglish and Ameridish to describe new words, or new meanings of existing Yiddish words, created by English-speaking persons with some knowledge of Yiddish. Rosten defines "Yinglish" as "Yiddish words that are used in colloquial English" (such as kibitzer)^[4] and Ameridish as words coined by Jews in the United States;^[5] his use, however, is sometimes inconsistent. According to his definition on page x, alrightnik is an Ameridish word; however, on page 12 it is identified as Yinglish.

While "Yinglish" is generally restricted in definition to the adaptation of Yiddish lemmas to English grammar by Jews, its usage is not explicitly restricted to Jews. This is especially true in areas where Jews are highly concentrated, but in constant interaction with their Gentile fellows, esp. in the larger urban areas of North America. In such circumstances, it would not be unusual to hear, for example, a Gentile griping about having "shlepped" a package across town.^[6]

The portmanteau word Yinglish is first recorded in 1942.^[7] Similar colloquial portmanteau words for Yiddish influenced English include: Yidlish (recorded from 1967), Yiddiglish (1980), and Yenglish (2000).^[7] A number of other terms have been promulgated, such as Engdish and Engliddish, but these have not enjoyed widespread adoption.^[8]

Yinglish was formerly assigned the ISO 639-3 code yib, but it was retired on July 18, 2007, on the grounds that it is entirely intelligible with English.^[9][10]

A [edit]

• aidim (Yid. איידעם): son-in-law, from middle-high-German eidam
• a schande (Yid. אַ שאַנדע): a disgrace; one who brings embarrassment through mere association, cf. German eine Schande, translated "a disgrace", meaning "such a shame"
• a schande far di goyim (Yid. אַ שאַנדע פֿאַר די גוים): "A disgrace before (in front of) the Gentiles", used as a Jewish insult against Jews who are perceived to further antisemitic stereotypes. Also spelled in varied phonetic and Germanic ways as "a shanda fur di goyim," "a schande fur die goyim," and so forth. Sometimes partially mistranslated as "a shande for the goyim," though far here means before and not for.^[11]
• ay-ay-ay (Yid. אײַ־אײַ־אײַ) (sometimes spelled ai-yi-yi; spoken "ei, yei, yei")^{[12][disputed – discuss]}
• abi gezunt! (Yid. אַבי געזונט): the first word is Slavic: compare Ukrainian aby (аби), Belarusian aby (абы) and Polish oby, both meaning "if only", "hopefully". The second word is Germanic, cognate to High German gesund. The phrase thus means "As long as you're healthy!"; often used as an ironic punchline to a joke
• abi me lebt (Yid. אַבי מע לעבט): abi from Slavic, as in the previous entry; me lebt cognate to the German, man lebt, meaning "At least I'm alive"

B[edit]

• billig or billik (Yid. ביליק): cheap, shoddy (said of merchandise); common expression "Billig is Teir" (cheap is expensive). As the German billig, "cheap."
• bissel (Yid. ביסל): a small amount, "a pinch of" something (cf. Austrian/Bavarian bissl, a dialectal variant of the more standard German bisschen, "a little bit")
• bentsch/bentsching (Yid. בֶּענְטְשֶׁן‬‎): to bless, blessing; commonly referred to saying Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals) or when lighting shabbat candles (bentsch-light), from Latin, "benedicere", (to bless).^[13]
  • bentcher a booklet with Birkat Hamazon and other prayers and songs associated with meal.^[13]
• bubbameisse (Yid. בובמייסס): Old wives' tale, cock and bull story (often attributed by erroneous folk etymology to combination of bubbe, "grandmother", and meisse, "tale", but in fact derives from "Bove-meisse", from the "Bove Bukh", the "Book of Bove", the chivalric adventures of fictitious knight Sir Bevys ("Bove") of Hampton, first published in Yiddish in 1541 and continually republished until 1910.

C[edit]

• chazerei/chazerai/chozerai (Yiddish, חזירײַ khazerai "filth" or, perhaps more literally, "piggery", from חזיר khazer "pig" from Hebrew חזיר‎ "hazeer", pig): junk, garbage, junk food^[14]
• hiddush/chidush/chiddush: (from Hebrew חדש‎ hadash, meaning "new") the point, upshot, or reason, of a discussion or argument; the conclusion drawn from two or more premises; more generally, innovation. For example: "I don't get it, what's the chidush?" Also used when you are making fun of someone for something entirely obvious. "Chidush! Chidush!"

E[edit]

• ekht (Yid. עכט): real, true (from German echt, "real")
• emes (Yid. אמת): the truth. From Hebrew אמת emet, "truth."
• eppes (Yid. עפּעס) a little, not much, something. Probably from Old High German eddeshwaz, with the eventual /-tw-/ assimilating into /-p-/. Compare modern Swiss German and Bavarian dialects which have a rough equivalent
• ess (Yid. עס; "Iss!" German imperative for "Eat!"): to eat, especially used in the imperative: Ess! Ess!

F[edit]

• fachnyok (Yid. פֿכניאָק): negative term meaning very religious, often used to connote someone holier-than-thou. Can be shortened to "chenyok", or used as a noun ("don't be such a chenyok") or an adjective ("you're so chnyokish"). Possibly derived from Russian хныка (khnyika).^[15][16]
• farblunjet (Yid. פֿאַרבלאָנדזשעט): confused, perplexed, totally lost
• farkakte (Yid. פֿאַרקאַקטע‎): screwed up, contemptible; literally "shat upon" (see verkackte)
• farklemt (Yid. פֿאַרקלעמט): choked up (with emotion) (cf. German verklemmt)
• farmisht (Yid. פֿאַרמישט): confused (cf. German vermischt = intermingled, mixed)
• farshtunken: contemptible, nasty (cf. German verstunken)
• feh (Yid. פֿע‎): expression of disgust
• feygele or faygeleh (Yid. פֿייגעלע‎): (pejorative) homosexual (literally 'little bird', from Old High German fogal; cf. modern German Vögele, also possible cf. German word Feigling, meaning 'coward'), could be used for anyone slightly effeminate, "Ugh, that, Moishele washes his hands, what a faygel." Often used as a disparaging term for a homosexual male.
• fress (Yid. פֿרעסן): to eat, especially with enthusiasm (German fressen = "to eat like an animal, in an untidy way")
• frimmer (Yid. פֿרומר): (British English slang): a Hasidic Jew (from Yiddish "frum", religious; also cf. German "Frommer" = pious person)

G[edit]

• gantz; gantze (Yid. גאַנץ): all, the whole of ("the ganze mischpache" = the whole family, etc., cf. German ganz = "whole, all")
• gei gesund (Yid. גיי געזונט gey gezunt): (from German) go in health; used as a goodbye. Repeated in reply. Usually neutral, but can be used sarcastically to mean "good riddance".
• gei avek (Yid. גיי אַוועק): go away, from German.
• gei shlofen (Yid. גיי שלופֿן): (from German Geh schlafen) go [to] sleep.
• gehivays (Yid. גיי ווייס): literally "go know", as in "go figure". ("Last week she said she hated his guts and now she's engaged to him. Geh vays.")
• genug (from German genug; Yiddish גענוג): enough
• geschmad, geschmadde (Yid. געשמד, from Hebrew משמד‎ meshumad, "destroyed"): adjective meaning "(a Jew who) converted to Christianity".
• gewalt (Yid. געוואלד; from German Gewalt, violence): equivalent to "oi, weh" or "good grief!" Literally "violence".
• glück (Yid. גליק, German): a piece of good luck
• gonef or gonif (Yid. גנבֿ, also ganiv): thief (Hebrew גנב‎ ganav. This can be used as a somewhat generic insult, implying a "lowlife"): the word has also been adopted from Yiddish into German as Ganove, also a thief (often figurative)
• gornisht (Yid. גאָרנישט, from German gar nichts = nothing at all): nothing, not a bit, for naught
• goyisher mazel (Yid. גוייִשר מזל): good luck (lit. "Gentile luck"). Mazel is from Hebrew מזל mazzal, referring to luck or fate.
• graube (Yid. גרויב): (from German grobe, rough) coarsely or crudely made.

H[edit]

• hegdesch (Yid. העגדעש): pigpen, often used to describe a mess (as in "your room is a hegdesch")
• hock (Yid. האַק): Bother, pester (as in the character Major Hochstetter from Hogan's Heroes; a hockstetter being someone who constantly bothers you); a contraction of the idiom Hakn a tshaynik (literally "to knock a teakettle"; Yiddish: האַקן אַ טשײַניק), from the old time pre-whistle teakettles whose tops clank against the rim as the pressure pushed them up and down. Often partially translated in informal speech, as in, "Don't hock my tshaynik about it!" ("Don't pester me about it!")^[17][18]
• hocker (Yid. האַקר): botherer, pesterer (see above)

K[edit]

• kadoches (Yid. קדחת): a fever; frequently occurs in oaths of ill-will (e.g., "I'll give him a kadoches is what I'll give him!). From Hebrew קדחת‎ kedachat.
• keppalah (Yid. קאפעלע): forehead, diminutive of keppe.
• keppe (Yid. קאָפּ): head (e.g. "I needed that like a loch in keppe", i.e. a hole in my head); German "Kopf", coll. "Kopp": "head"; German "Loch": "hole".
• keyn ayn horeh (Yid. קיינ יינ-אָרע; also pronounced: kin ahurrah): lit., "No evil eye!"; German kein: none; Hebrew עין‎ ayn—eye, הרע‎ harrah—bad, evil; an apotropaic formula spoken to avert the curse of jealousy after something or someone has been praised
• khaloymes (Yid. כאָלעם): dreams, fantasies; used in the sense of "wild dreams" or "wishful thinking", as in "Ah, boy, that's just khaloymes, it'll never come true." From the Hebrew חלום‎ khalom (dream), pl. khalomot.
• kife or kyfe (Yid. קייפ): enjoyment. From Arabo-Persian keyf 'opiate; intoxication; pleasure, enjoyment'.
• klop (Yid. קלאַפּ): a loud bang or wallop (German klopfen = "to knock")
• klumnik (Yid. קלומניק): empty person, a good-for-nothing (From Hebrew כלום‎ klum, nothing.)
• krankhayt (Yid. קראַנקהייַט): a sickness (German Krankheit)

L[edit]

• l'ch'oira: (Yid. לכוירה) "seemingly". From Hebrew לכאורה lichora. Ultimately from אור or, "light", as light is being shed on what has happened.^[19]
• lobbus: a rascal, or young mischievous person. From לאָבעס lobes, לאָבוס lobus 'urchin, young rascal'.^[20]
• luzim (Yid. לאָזן): let it go, forget about it, from Old High German lazan, "let, allow". Famously used by the "Indians" in Blazing Saddles, where Mel Brooks says luzim gayen (לאָזן גיין), "let him go."^[21]

M[edit]

• maiseh (Yid. מעשׂה): lit. "deed, occurrence", a story or vignette about a person or event, (Heb. ma'aseh (same meaning as in Yiddish, though infrequently used). A small problem that blew up into a big story would be called a "ganze maiseh". Also famous in the phrase a "bubbe maiseh", the equivalent of the English idiom "an old wives' tale".
• mamish (Yid. ממש): really, very (an expression of emphasis) From the Hebrew ממש (mamash), "substantially"
• maydl (Yid. מײדל): Girl, young woman, from Austrian Maedel. "That's a shayne (pretty) Maydl."
• mazel (from Hebrew מזל mazal): luck (literally, constellation of stars)
• mechaye (Yid. מחיה): a source of pleasure (from the Hebrew חיים "chayim", meaning "life")
• mechutanista (f), mechutan (m), mechutanim (pl), Machtainista (f):^[22] kinship term for one's child's female or male parent-in-law (Yid. מעחוטאַניסטאַ, from Hebrew מחותן mekhután, "belonging to the groom").
• meh, mnyeh: an expression of indifference or boredom
• meiven (a variant of maven): expert (from Yiddish מבֿין meyvn, from Hebrew mevin 'one who understands')
• mishegoss: a crazy, mixed up, insane situation; irrationality (from Yiddish משוגעת meshugas, from meshuge 'crazy')

N[edit]

• nasherai (Yid. נאַשערײַ): snack food (German naschen—to snack, cf. German Nascherei)

O[edit]

• oytzer (Yid. ויצער oitser): sweetheart, dear (from Hebrew אוֹצָר otsar, "treasure")

P[edit]

• pulke (Yid. פולקע): thigh, particularly fat ones on babies. From Russian пол (pol), "half."
• punkt farkert (Yid. פונקט פארקערט) : just the opposite, total disagreement. German: punkt verkehrt; lit "point/precisely false/backward" = wrong.
• pupik (Yid. פּופּיק): the navel; belly button (Polish pępek, navel) (used by American comedian Moe Howard in the short subject film You Nazty Spy! from 1940)

S[edit]

• schicker (Yid. שיכור shikhur) or schickered: drunk, intoxicated (from the Hebrew שיכור shikor: drunk, cf. German [coll.] angeschickert "soused, tipsy")
• schissel or shisl (Yid. שיסל): bowl, especially a large mixing bowl (from German Schüssel, bowl)
• schlepper: bum (Yiddish שלעפּר shlepr and German schleppen)
• schmeckle (Yid. שמעקל): a little penis, often ascribed to a baby boy. Diminutive of שמאָק shmok, "penis."
• schmeer (Yid. שמיר) also schmear: as a verb, to spread, e.g., the cream cheese on your bagel; also, as a noun, that which you spread on something, e.g., "I'll have a piece of challah with a schmeer." Can also mean "to bribe" (to spread money on someone's hands). (cf. German schmieren)
• schrai (Yid. שרײ): a shriek or wail, sometimes used to connote exaggerated hysterics. ("When I told her I'd be ten minutes late, she let out such a shrai!") (cf. German Schrei)
• schtick'l: a little piece of something, usually food. Dim. of stick, from German Stückchen. In "delis", salami ends were sold from a plate on the counter labeled "A nickel a schtickel"
• schtupp, schtuff: (vulgar) to have sex with, screw (from Yiddish שטופּן shtupn 'push, poke'; similar to 'stuff'); to fill, as in to fill someone's pocket with money. ("Schtupp him $50.") Frequently used in the former context by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. In German 'stopfen' means to (overly) fill or to stuff something.
• schverr (Yid. שװער): father-in-law (German Schwager, obsolete form "Schwäher")
• schvigger (Yid. שװיגער): mother-in-law (German Schwiegermutter)
• Shabbos goy: A non-Jew who performs labour forbidden on the Jewish Sabbath for observant Jews; sometimes used (by implication) for someone who "does the dirty work" for another person. (from Yiddish שבת Shabbos, Sabbath and גױ goy, a non-Jew)
• shep naches (Yid. שעפּ נחת‎): take pride. Sometimes shortened to "shep". ("Your son got into medical school? You must be shepping.") From שעפּן (shepn), "derive", from Old High German scaphan; and Hebrew נחת‎ nachat, "contentment."
• sheyne meydel (Yid. שײנע מײדל): a beautiful girl (cf. German schönes Mädel)
• Shiva (Yid. שבעה‎ shive): The mourning of seven days after one dies by his family. From Hebrew שבעה‎ shiv'a, "seven".
• shmegege (Yid. שמעגעגע): a stupid person, a truly unlucky one; has been said to be the one who cleans up the soup the shlemiel spilled on the shlimazel.
• shpilkes (Yid. שפּילקעס): nervous energy; to be feeling "antsy", to be "sitting on pins and needles". Cf. Polish szpilka, "pin"
• shtark (Yid. שטאַרק), shtarker: strong, brave (German stark), zealously religious
• shtick: comic theme; a defining habit or distinguishing feature (from Yiddish שטיק shtik, 'a piece of something': cf. German Stück, "piece").
• shtotty (Yid. שטאָטי): fancy or elegant; may sometimes be pejorative ("She thinks she's so shtotty with that new dress of hers.")
• shtuch (Yid. שטוך): to put someone down, often facetiously ("I shtuched him out." Can be used as a noun to refer to a clever put-down or rejoinder ("When I told my father that my stupidity must be hereditary, it was such a good shtuch!")
• shtick dreck (Yid. שטיק דרעק): literally "a piece of dirt" (see Dreck), but usually applied to a person who is hated because of the antisocial things he has done: "He's a real shtuck dreck." Possibly shtick dreck: a piece of crap. Cf. German Stück Dreck.
• shtuss (Yid. שטות): nonsense, foolishness (from Hebrew שטות shetut, pl. shetuyot); also the name of a card game. In German, 'Stuss' means nonsense.
• shvartzer: (שװאַרצער): Black person (either neutral or possibly derogatory depending on context) (from שװאַרץ shvarts "black", German schwarz)

T[edit]

• takeh (Yid. טאַקע): really, totally. "This is takeh a problem!" From Russian/Ukrainian таки (taki), "still, after all, in spite of."
• tchepen sikh (טשעפּענ זיך tshepen zikh): to bother someone incessantly ("Stop tcheppening me!") or to playfully banter with someone ("We spent the entire date tcheppening each other about what bad taste the other one had.") From Polish czepiać sie, "cling to, find fault with."^[23]
• tornig (Yid. טורניג): a disobedient nephew
• tsim gezunt (Yid. צים געזונט): to [your] health! Used as a response to a sneeze; from German gesund, "healthy")
• Tsekruchen(a):to be bent over, to be dejected. "Don't be so Tsekruchen all the time, lighten up a bit"
• tummel (Yid. טאַמעל): excitement (cf. German tummeln, "to romp")

U[edit]

• ungershpart (Yid. ייַנגעשפּאַרט ayngeshpart): stubborn. Derived from ייִנגער‎ (yinger, "younger"), from Old High German junc ("young"), and from שפּאַרט (shfart, "smart", as in "hurt").

V[edit]

• verblandzhet (Yid. פֿאַרבלאָנדזשעט; far- cf. German ver- and Polish błądzić = "to stray around"): lost, bewildered, confused, mixed-up (appropriately, there are several variant spellings)
• verdreyt (Yid. פֿאַרדרײט; drey meaning turn, cf. dreidel; also cf. German verdreht = "twisted"): confused, mixed-up, distracted
• verfrumt (Yid. פֿאַרפֿרומט): negative term for someone very religious or pious. "She came back from seminary and became all farfrumt." From Old High German fruma, cognate to German fromm.
• vershimmelt (Yid. פֿאַרשימלט farshmilt): shook up, rattled, in a state of nerves. "She wasn't hurt in the accident, but she was pretty farshimmelt". (cf. German verschimmelt = mouldy)
• verkakte (Yid. פֿאַרקאַקטע): an adjective, meaning 'screwed up' or 'a bad idea'; literally, 'crapped' or 'becrapped', cf. German "verkackte(r)"
• vershtuft (Yid. פֿאַרשטופֿט farshtuft): (pejorative) pregnant, recently had sex, constipated. (stuffed) (cf. German "verstopft"= blocked)

W[edit]

• wilde chaya (Yid. װילדע חיה vilde chaye): impolite or undisciplined child, literally, wild beast. From Old High German wildi and Hebrew חייה (ḥaye, "animal").

Y[edit]

• Yiddishe Mama (Yid. ייִדישע מאַמאַ): a stereotypical Jewish mother
• Yiddisher kop (Yid. ייִדישער קאָפּ): intelligence (lit. "Jewish head"; German "Jüdischer Kopf": Jewish head)^[24]
• yiddisher mazel (Yid. ייִדישער מזל): bad luck (lit. "Jewish luck") From Hebrew מזל mazal, "constellation".
• yungatch (Yid. יונגאַטש yungatsh): a rascal. From יונג yung (OHG junc).

Z[edit]

• zach (Yid. זאַך): thing or item. When used with "ganzte" (גאַנץע), can refer to an event or story, e.g. "The ganzte zach only took two hours." The "whole thing" only took two hours (Old High German sahha; cf. German Sache)

Yinglish words[edit]

The Joys of Yiddish describes the following words as Yinglish except where noted as Ameridish:^[25]

• alrightnik, alrightnikeh, alrightnitseh – male, female, female individual who has been successful; nouveau riche^[26]
• bleib shver  – from German bleibt schwer, meaning remains difficult – unresolved problem, especially in Talmud learning (cf. wikt:תיקו)
• blintz (Yinglish because the true Yiddish is blintzeh)^[27]
• bluffer, blufferkeh – male, female person who bluffs^[28]
• boarderkeh, bordekeh – (Ameridish) female paying boarder^[29]
• boychick, boychikel, boychiklekh – young boy, kiddo, handsome^[30]
• bulbenik (Ameridish) – an actor who muffs his lines, from bilbul – mixup (alternative theory – bulba, literally potato, figuratively error)^[31]
• bummerkeh (Ameridish) – a female bum
• chutzpah (Ameridish) – audacity
• cockamamy false, ersatz, crazy (of an idea), artificial, jury-rigged (prob. from Eng. "decalcomania," a "decal," a sticker, a cheap process for transferring images from paper to glass.) In the Bronx, in the first half of the 20th century, a "cockamamie" was a washable temporary "tattoo" distributed in bubblegum packets.
• donstairsikeh, donstairsiker – female, male living downstairs
• dresske – bargain-basement dress
• fin – five, or five-dollar bill, shortened form of Yiddish פינף finif (five)
• kosher – Yinglish, not in its religious or Yiddish meanings, but only in five slang senses: authentic, trustworthy, legitimate, fair, and approved by a higher source. Its pronunciation, as "kōsher", is another distinguishing factor, as in true Yiddish it is pronounced "kūsher" or "kösher"
• mensch – a person of uncommon maturity and decency
• nextdoorekeh, nextdooreker – female, male living next door
• opstairsikeh, opstairsiker (Ameridish) – female, male living upstairs
• pisha paysha – corruption of English card game "Pitch and Patience"
• sharopnikel (Ameridish) – a small object that causes quieting, such as a pacifier, teething ring, cf. shaddap (shut up!)
• shmata – everyday clothing (literally "rags")
• shmegegge (Ameridish) – an unadmirable or untalented person
• shmo – shortened version of 'shmock' or 'shmearal', see 'shnuk'
• shnuk (Ameridish) – an idiotic person
• tararam – a big tummel
• tuchas – buttocks

See also[edit]

• List of English words of Hebrew origin
• List of German expressions in English
• List of English words of Yiddish origin
• Lists of English words by country or language of origin
• Jewish English Lexicon
• Yeshivish
• Scots-Yiddish

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Jewish Language Research Website: Yiddish
• On-line Yiddish dictionary
• The Spoken Yiddish Language Project (Columbia University)
• A nice list of choice Yiddish/Ameridish words
• Bennett Muraskin, You Know More Yiddish Than You Think, Jewish Currents, December 10, 2014