Yiddish Dictionary

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Have a suggestion? Correction? Question? Please let us know! HOWEVER..please remember, this is a labor of love, done in my spare time. Please do not ask for definitions of words already in this list! (I get several of those requests per week!) Nu? You can't, maybe, read?

If you don't see it in the glossary, try spelling it slightly differently (i.e. "Oi!" instead of "Oy!" "Shlep" vs "Schlep" Also, please be respectful of my time and ask nice!! I'm happy to help where I can, but please do not attempt to use me as a free translation or editing service!
If you know the English word, and want the Yiddish, you can either use the "Find on This Page" function in your browser (usually under the EDIT menu)

or go to THIS SITE
or to translate from English to Yiddish
(with results in Hebrew letters) go to http://www.yiddishdictionary.co.il

Please note:
Just because this is a Yiddish website, hardly makes me an expert on all things Jewish! I do not answer questions about religion, customs, holidays, various sects, the Talmud, laws of Kashruth, etc. I suggest a very excellent book called The Jewish Book of Why. There are also many other websites geared more toward religious Judaism and Judaic studies (vs. language alone) which will probably have all the answers you seek.

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Dear Ms. Gusoff:
Thanks for sending me your book, “Dirty Yiddish Slang.” It's hilarious and I will probably break out some of the sayings at my Passover Seder in the spring. Best of luck to you!!
--Joan Rivers

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A bei gesunt: (ah bee geh-zunt) As long as you're healthy. "Hospital, shmospital. A bei gesunt!"

Agita: this is NOT Yiddish. It's totally Italian, but for some reason many people seem to think it's Yiddish and have asked me what it means. If you're looking it up here, know that it's not Yiddish, but I'm going to tell you what it means, anyway, because hey, that's the kind of girl I am: agitation, stress, heartburn, acid stomach, the gastro-intestinal manifestations of stress. It's used the way Yiddish speakers use "tsooris" (meaning trouble, worries, grief.) Tsooris is perhaps more serious than mere agita, but in many sentences they can be used interchangeably.

Alevai: (a-lev-eye) It should only happen! May it come to pass! "We're saving our money so when our daughter gets married, alevai, we can make her a nice wedding."

Alev Ha Sholem (olive-a-show-lem) May he/she rest in peace. "Benji is starting to look just like his grandpa Max, alev ha sholem."

Alta Kocker: literally, an old shit; or as we say in English, an old fart. (sometimes called, simply, AK) Years ago, my mother was trying to convince my then 8-year old nephew that he actually knew quite a bit more Yiddish than he realized. "For instance, you know what an alta kocker is," she said, knowing she'd used the word around him often. His face lit up. "Yes! I know that one! It means a 'slow driver!'"

Alrightnik: (Yinglish) somebody who's done OK for themselves financially, i.e. nouveau riche.

America gonif: literally, "America the Thief" which has both positive and negative connotations. On one hand, it referred to the New Land which robbed early immigrants of their culture, their language, sometimes their families and their fortunes. But the expression was also used as an an interjection, expressing admiration for the wonders, joys, possibilities of America. "Wow! What a country! Look what can happen here!" or "What'll they think of next!" or "Damn clever, these goyim!" "Imagine that! Only in America!"

Aroisgevarfeneh: (uh-roys-geh-varf-en-uh) Thrown out, wasted. "They're giving that klutz ballet lessons? Aroigevofeneh gelt!" (wasted money) (see varf)

Azoy vert dus kukhl tsekrokhen - literally, "That's the way the cookie crumbles!"

Baleboos: boss (masculine). Here's a mouthful for you: "Shtayzich for a kurtzeh fer a vintmill. Di plukhen drayen zich, un ER is der balaboos." Translation: "There stands a little man in front of a windmill. The blades turn, and HE thinks he's the boss of them." In my family, a "kurtzeh" refers to anyone who thinks they're in control when clearly they have no influence over the outcome at all.

Baleboosteh: (bal-a-boo-stah) an organized, efficient, praise-worthy homemaker. Also the boss-lady or boss's wife; a bossy woman.

Batamt: taste. delicious. Usually refers to food, but can be used to describe a "tasty little lady."

Bashert: (beh-sheert) destined, fated, meant to be. "Beshert is beshert" is the Yiddish equivalent of "Que sera, sera." When used as a noun, it means "soul mate" or the one with whom you were destined to be.

Beryiah: (berr-yah) a baleboosteh squared; a regular Martha Stewart. A homemaker who puts the rest of us to shame.

Beytsim: (bates-seem) testicles. When someone gets too wistful, sentimental and/or regretful imaging how things could be/have been "if only...", a frustrated listener might interject a dose of reality with: "As di bubbe volt gehat beytsim volt zi gevain mayn zaidah." (i.e. "If my grandmother had balls, she'd be my grandfather.") It's the more sarcastic equivalent of the English expression "...and if I had wings, I would fly." (A less "blue" version is "If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a trolley car.")

Billig: cheap, inexpensive. My great-grandmother used to say "billig es teier" (teier = expensive, dear, pricey) meaning cheap things are actually expensive in the long run, because they fall apart or break, whereas "when you buy good, you have forever."

Bissel: (bis-sel) A little. "Give me a bissel lox on my bagel, would you, darling?" A biselleh is even less.

Bitteh: please (as in German) Yes, this is a word in Yiddish although I've never actually heard it spoken! :D

Boorivka: (burr-if-kah) literally, a blueberry. Colloquially used to refer to a large, dark mole. "That Robert Redford is so handsome, but oi! All those boorivkas!" This is a word my grandmother used to use, and for decades, we all thought it was Yiddish for skin mole. Years later, long after she was gone, I was traveling in eastern Europe and learned this is the word for blueberry in many Slavic languages (as well as in Yiddish). I don't know if my grandmother made up the alternate usage or if it was something she heard. Either way, it's apt and funny.

Borsht Belt: Another name for the Catskill hotel and kuchelyn (bungalow colony) circuit, during the 1930's-1970's. Most of the Jewish (and some gentile) comics of the older generation got their starts or worked here, including Jerry Lewis, Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, Rodney Dangerfield, Shecky Greene, Woody Allen, Morey Amsterdam, Lenny Bruce, Don Rickles, Henny Youngman, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Shelley Berman, Alan King, Jonathan Winters and many, many more. The hotels included The Concord, Grossingers, Kutchers, Browns, Granit, The Nevele -- mainly centered around the Monticello - Fallsburg, NY area (Sullivan -- aka "Solomon" -- County.) Sadly, almost all of them are now gone. I recently read that New York area firefighters are training at The Concord by purposely setting rooms ablaze! (Oi! Like a knife through the heart!! Buddy Hackett is spinning in his grave!) The bunglalow colonies are too numerous to mention but my and my husband's personal faves are Pancrest Lodge (South Fallsburg) and Mountainview near Monticello. Ahhh! Those were the days!!! And Wisteria Lane could not hold a candle to the intrigues that went on in those places, especially since the husbands often stayed in the city to work during the week and only joined their families upstate on the weekends. Let's just say the itinerant knish man wasn't just selling knishes! (A wonderful movie on this subject is "A Walk on the Moon" with Diane Lane and Viggo Mortensen.)

Brech: (rhymes with "yechhh!" which should make it easy to learn) to gag; to vomit. "Meh keyn brechen!" means "You can vomit from this!" "Go to your sister's house for dinner? Forget it! I don't know which makes me brech more… her food or her décor!"

Brokh: (don't forget the gutteral KH) misfortune, disaster, calamity, said when the shit hits the fan. (Never to be confused with brokheh, which is a "blessing"

Brokheh - blessing or blessed. Often used to mean "prayer" as it's the first words of most Hebrew prayers: Baruch Atah Adonoi... "Blessed are you, our G-d) For example, "You'd better say the brokheh for the shabbos candles...it's getting late!" (NOT to be confused with "brokh" above! (Sometimes pronounced "broo-kheh")See also: motsi

Broygis: (BROY-gas) angry, pissed off, with a mad-on, having a shit-fit, mad at someone, on the outs with someone, not on speaking terms. "I just asked her if she was going wear that trampy outfit, and she got all broygis."

Bubba Meisah: (bubba meye-seh) literally, a "grandmother's story," or old wives' tale, such as "You'd better stop making that face! I knew a girl whose face froze like that!" Basically, a story of dubious truth, often based on rumor, gossip or stemming from a desire to impress others or keep the kids in line. Real B.S.. The original urban legend.

Bubbellah: (the "u" is pronounced like the "oo" in book) an affectionate way of refering to someone, much like "darling" or "sweetheart." Bubbies call their grandchildren "bubbellah." Close friends and long-time business partners might call each other "bubbellah," or boubbie, for short. (pronounced like "bookie" vs. the shorter "u" in Bubby, below.) Also, the nickname of a kosher-for-Passover pancake made with matzoh meal and eggs.

Bubby: (rhymes with cubby) (also spelled Bubbe, Bubbeh) Grandmother (you needed me to tell you this, after spending time on my website!?)

Bulvan: (bull-vahn) an ox; a strong, but unrefined man. Such a man might be a prize fighter or a piano mover.

Bupkis: (bup-kiss) literally, goat turds. Colloquially, nothing. "You're gonna sue me?! You know what you'll get!!?? Bupkis!"

Chaim Yankel (khai-yam Yonk-l) a country bumpkin; the guy who just fell off the turnip truck; an ineffectual nobody; a fool. Also, Mr. Anyone; the man on the street; any Tom, Dick or Heshie. "Ask any Chaim Yankel and they'll tell you that George Bush really kocked it up in Iraq."

Chaleria (khal-air-re-ah) A nasty, shrewish, somewhat psychotic woman, prone to wild outbursts of anger. Basically, a bitch.

Challah: (khal-lah) a delicious bread made with lots of eggs, usually braided, and served at Sabbath dinner or other holidays meals (except Passover where no bread is allowed). Has the consistency of an Italian panetone (without the add-ins) or French brioche. Makes the absolute BEST French toast. OK, my eyes are rolling back in my head just thinking about it!! Mmmmm!

Challish: (khall-ish) faint, usually from hunger. "I haven't eaten in hours! If that waiter doesn't bring our dinner soon, I'm going to challish!"

Chalushes (khal-ush-ess) Nausea or a feeling of sickness. Also, nauseating. "Did you see that dress she was wearing?! It was positively chalushes!"

Chamalyiah: (kham-al-yah) a mega-zetz. A real whack, a Joe Lewis punch. "If that kid upstairs doesn't stop practicing his drums, I'm gonna go up there and give him such a chamalyiah!"

Chap (khop, with the gutteral KH) - grab, catch. "Chap a gang" means "catch a road" (or path or way) or, as we'd say in English, "Hit the road!" "Get lost!" Also used to imply snarfing. "I just put out that bowl of nuts and you chapped them all up, already? You chazzer!"

Chap nicht!: literally "don't grab!" but also, colloquially, "Hey, slow down! Take it easy! Not so fast, buddy!"

Chazzer: (khaz-zeh) a pig or anyone who behaves like one, either in their eating, financial or personal grooming habits. "Oi! What a chazzer! I don't think he's bathed in a week." "No wonder that chazzer went out of business. He kept all the profits and paid his employees bupkis."

Chazzerai: (khaz-zer-rye) literally, pig slop. Any kind of garbage, whether it's junk food, shoddy merchandise or stuff of little or no value. "No wonder my grandson is fat! All my daughter-in-law feeds him is chazzerai!" "I went to that big estate sale, but all they had was chazzerai." "I never watch TV any more. All they play is chazzerai."

Chinik: (chi-nik; the "ch" in this case is pronouced as in the English "church") a tea kettle. (see "hock meir en chinik") "Chai" means tea throughout most of Asia (that's all kinds of tea; not just that spiced, sweet stuff you get at Starbucks!) So a "chai-nik" is the thing into which the tea is put. "Nik" is a Slavic suffix which turns the root word into a new word generally meaning "one who does or is affiliated with [the root word]" This ending is used often to create Yinglish words such as "nogoodnik" "beatnik" "peacenik" "alrightnik" "neatnik." Usually a "so-and-so-nik" refers to a person who is an adherent or practitioner of something; and there is generally something mildly derisive about such coined words. Chinik is one of the few exceptions. Years ago, when my husband and I visiting Uzbekistan, we were greatly amused to be offered tea in a "chinik." (It was one of the very, very few Russian words we understood!) ** This, from reader MG: "In my family, chinik was defined as a "teacup" (a small piece of china). People without manners would bang a spoon around in the teacup while they were stirring and then clatter it down on the saucer when done, creating a lot of annoying, unnecessary, rude noise, apparently much like my sisters and I made a lot of rude, unnecessary, and annoying noise on occasion. My bubby (from Warsaw, not Kishev) wouldn't have known from chai if it was slopped on her."

Chrain: (khrain) horseradish. "Whew! That fresh chrain on my gefilte fish really cleared out my sinuses!"

Chumitz (khum-itz) Anything not kosher for Passover; i.e. bread, anything with leavening, anything that can be made into flour. Some people/sects also forbid rice and corn products as well. The list goes on... (and on...) (and on...) Technically, a Jewish home should be searched for and cleaned of all chumitz before the holiday begins. For more in this, go here.

Chuppah: (khup-ah, rhymes with "cuppa") Wedding canopy, under which the bride and groom and rabbi (and close family members) stand, during the ceremony. See shtup

Chutzpah - Unmitigated gall, brazenness beyond imagination. Contrary to popular current usage, it does not mean merely "brass balls" -- although there is certainly an element of that. It's not chutzpah without the gall, the cheek, audacity, the NERVE! Chutzpeniks don't believe the rules apply to them. They have a lack of respect for authority or common convention or polite norms. It goes beyond mere risk taking or living life on the edge. Just because a guy works on the bomb squad or puts out forest fires doesn't mean he has chutzpah. It may take real cojones to go fight in a war, but it was chutzpah that made David think he could take down the giant Goliath with only his slingshot. It's chutzpah that prompts the guy to call the tech desk for help with pirated software. It's chutzpah that makes a woman think it's OK to buy a dress, wear it to a special occasion, and return it for full price. The classic example is the boy who kills both his parents, then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan. Also, anyone who lifts this entire dictionary and puts it on their site (with or without credit!) If you see this entry anywhere other than on Bubbygram.com...that person is a content-stealing gonif! (Please let me know!)

Cooch: [kootsch] tactile shopping. OK, honestly? This word isn't really Yiddish. My Aunt Marion made it up. But it sounds Yiddish and it's become a favorite of all who've heard it because there is no other word like it. Cooching is a form of hands-on examination of the merchandise, almost a caress as it were, before deciding whether or not to buy. One might cooch at a yard sale, a flea market, at a dollar store or even an upscale shop. It isn't necessary to actually BUY something for a cooching expedition to be successful however it is different than merely window shopping or "just having a look." It's more about exploring and accessing the physical attributes of the merchandise -- feeling the fabric; picking up a tchotchkah to feel its heft; turning an object over in your hand to see where or how it was made. "I went to a few yard sales and cooched around, but I didn't find anything good." (Note from a reader: "The way you describe [this word] it, it seems like it might be in some roundabout way related to the Welsh word cwtch [which is pronounced the same way], meaning 'to pat/caress/squeeze/cuddle.'" My reply: That's a funny and interesting bit of etymology however I can pretty much guarantee my aunt never heard the Welsh word. I think, however, there IS something rather onomatopoeic about it. My guess it was made up spontaneously by some unknown Welsh person and my aunt.) (Can anyone confirm this? Cwtch doesn't come up in Google Translator)

Darf min gen en kollej? [gen with a hard G]: "For THIS I went to college?" When I used to do the Bubbygrams, I'd often find myself shlepping around, in full drag...I'd catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and I'd ask myself that very question!

Das hartz hat mir gezoght: "My heart told me" In other words, "I had a feeling it would come to this." "I KNEW this would happen!" "I predicted it!"

Daven: (dah-ven) a rhythmic, rocking motion done while praying. Which reminds me of joke: Ruthie marries Moishe, a very religious but sexually inexperienced young man. On their honeymoon night, he climbs on top of her then just lays there like lox. Ruthie, in frustration, finally cries out: "Daven, Moishe! Daven!"

Dershticht zolstu veren!: "You should choke on it!" In other words, I hope you don't have a moment's enjoyment out of what you just bought/won/received/achieved.

Dibbuk: a folkloric creature -- the evil soul of a dead person which resides in the body of a living human being. The story of the Dibbuk is the Jewish version of "The Exorcist."

Draycup: literally, a turned around head. ("dray" means "turn" as in "draydl," a spinning top used at Hanukkah) Someone who's perpetually confused. "That draycup didn't just lose her keys this time. She lost the whole car!"

Drek: ca-ca, both literally and in the same way we use the word in English, to denote crap. Somewhat stronger than chazzerai, but often used the same way. "A real designer bag? Yeah right! Look at this drek! Not only is the zipper already broken, but Vuitton is spelled "V-o-o-t-o-n!"

Drek mit leber: [LAY-ber] literally, "shit with liver" What's worse than shit? Shit with liver, of course! "Less than nothing." When my husband was a kid and he'd whine and complain that he didn't like what his mother made for dinner, she'd say, "You know what you'll get to eat? Drek mit leber!" The worst choice. The worst crap. "I went to that sale. They had drek mit leber."

Drek oif dem teller: literally, "shit on a plate" Worthless crap, slightly dressed up. Shit on a shingle.

Du kanst nicht oif meinem fus pishen und mir sagen klass es regen ist. - Judge Judy uses this one all the time, and in fact it's the title of one of her books) "Don't pee on my foot and tell me it's raining!" In other words, don't try to bullshit me.

Eckveldt: lit, the end of the earth. The last town, before you fall off the edge of the planet. Nowheresville. "They bought a house in the country. Not even the Catskills! Seven hours we drove! I'm tell you, it's in eckveldt!" (Basically the same as yenemsvelt)

Eingeshparht: (ayn-geh-shpart) stubborn. "He is so eingeshparht, getting him to do anything is like trying to get a donkey up a ladder!"

Ekel: nausea, disgust, revulsion. Often used in Yinglish as: "I've got the ekels" meaning, "I'm totally grossed out."

Emmes: (em-mess) truth. Used often in the context of "I swear it's true" or "Really? Is that true? "Barbra Streisand was at that bar mitzvah I went to last week." "Emmes?" "Emmes!"

Eppes: (ep-pess) something. "You must be hungry. Ess a bisel eppis, tatelleh." (Eat a little something, my darling boy.)

Es is nit dayn gesheft - literally, It is not your business. Colloquially, "Mind your own business."

Es is nit mayn gesheft - see above. Essentially, "Not my circus, not my monkeys." (Nit meyn tsirk, nit meyn mangkiz, which is not a Yiddish expression but still, it's fun to say it literally in Yiddish.)

Ess: eat. Often used invitationally. "Ess! Ess! The food is getting cold." (see also Fress)

Ess vi ein faygl, sheisse vi ein ferde! - Eat like a bird; shit like a horse! (Or, as my mother says, "He eats like he has three assholes.") (note: in this expression, "sheisse" --the German word for "shit" -- is used. In Yiddish, generally the word for "shit" is "kock" or "cak.")

Farbissenah: (Fer-biss-en-uh) sour, bitter. Generally used to refer to people (hence Frau Ferbissenah in the Austin Powers films.) "No wonder she's not married. With a ferbissenah punim (sour face) like that, a man should be afraid to talk to her!" Or "His wife ran off with his partner and he's been ferbissenah ever since."

Farblongjid (far-blunge-jed) completely lost and confused, either in one's head or on the ground. "God forbid you should ask for directions! Now we're completely farblongjid!"

Farcockt: All crapped up. (see Alta Kocker) "It used to be a nice neighborhood, but now it's all farcockt." As an adjective, it's "farcockteh." "This is a farcockteh neighborhood."

Fardrai zich deyn kop!: literally, "go turn your own head around." In other words, "Leave me alone and go make yourself crazy!" "Quit bugging me and get lost."

Farfel: crumbled up, broken matzoh bits put in soup or mixed with egg to make a sort of matzoh omelet called a matzoh brie. (br-eye) Topped with some sugar, maybe a bissel frucht, not too awful.

Farfoilt: (fur-foiled) spoilt, mildewed, rotten, decayed. "Marvin, you're 36 years old already. Time to get rid of that ferfoilteh shmata!" (rotten rag, or in this instance, lousy security blanket.)

Fargenign (far-gan-ee-gan): joy, delight, pleasure. "Mit groise fargenign" means "with great pleasure."

Farkrimpteh: twisted, crimped up. A "farkrimpteh punim" is a twisted up, scowling face.

Farmach dos moyl! - literally "shut your mouth" Colloquially, "Shut up!" "Put a lid on it!"

Farpootzt: (fur-pootzt) all dressed up and/or all made up, often overly so. "Where do you think you're going, young lady, all ferpootzt? Wipe that makeup off! Take off that sequined dress! You're only 12 years old!"

Farshikkert: drunk as a skunk, three sheets to the wind, s**t-faced. (a Shikker is a drunk)

Farshlepteh krenk: (far-shlep-tah krenk) literally, a chronic illness. Used colloquially to mean something that just doesn't end. A long, drawn out issue, usually without resolve, rather like the Whitewater hearings.

Farshimmelt: (far-shim-elt) literally, rotten, moldy, often referringn to food. When you say a person is "farshimmelt" it means they are confused, mixed up (i.e. their mind is old and moldy.)

Farshluggineh: (far-shlug-in-ah) literally, shaken or mixed. Crazy mixed up, wacky and worthless, silly/goofy. Mad Magazine's website proclaims: "This entire farshlugginer site is brought to you courtesy of www.HeritageComics.com"

Farshtaist? (far-shtayst) Understand? You got that? You dig, man? Comprende? Capisce?

Farshtunkeneh: (far-shtunk-en-eh) stinky, smelly, fetid, rotten. Used literally as well as figuratively. "This Iraq thing is a big, farshtunkeneh mess!" To misquote both "Treasure of Sierra Madre" and "Scarface" -- "Badges? We dun need no farshtunkeneh badges!"

Farshvitzt: (far-shvitzed) "shvitz" is sweat, also steambath. All sweated up.

Fartik: finished, ready, done. Often used as a question: Fartik? ("Are you finished yet?") or exclamation, "Fartik!" (I'm done with THIS!) "I've had enough of your narishkeit! Fartik! I want a divorce!"

Faygelah: (fay-geh-lah) literally, a little bird. Colloquially used to refer to a gay man. Depending upon its use, can be derogatory or affectionate. "My hairdresser, the faygelah, sure gave me a beautiful haircut!" (Its similarity to 'fag" is purely coincidental.)

Fliegel: (rhymes with sea gull) a chicken or turkey wing, as in "Buffalo fliegels

Folg mikh a gayng: literally means, "follow me on my path/my way" or "that's quite a long way" but colloquially implies "that's far too much effort!" or "That's no small task!' or "That's a lot to ask!" and used sarcastically used to say "Yeah, like THAT'S gonna happen!" or "Right... in your DREAMS!" or "Yeah, I'll get right on it...NOT!"

Forshpise: (for-shpeyes) hors d'ouvres, appetizers. The nosh you get when you first arrive so you don't challish before dinner is served.

For gezinteh hait (or gay gezinteh hait): "go in good health" And of course, is often used sarcastically. For instance, when someone walks out on you angrily, slamming the door behind them, you might call after them, "for gezinteh hait!" (the subtext being, "you should go in good health, but drop dead before you get to the bottom of the stairs!") Also used to imply: "Go! Do whatever you want! You're not going to listen to me anyway."

Fortzn zoffer:- A really nasty, malodorous fart which leaves a miasma of methane that could knock a buzzard off a dung heap

Frailech: (fray-lich) Happy, merry, joyful (frailecheh is the adjective) The Hanukkah song refers to the holiday as "a lichtekeh, a frailecheh" -- "light/joyful and happy" (It just occurred to me that "frolic" probably comes from the same root.)

Fress: eat, referring to an animal, or a human who eats like one. "My last blind date was an animal! He fressed up his entire dinner before I even took a bite of mine!"

Fuftzikeh: fifty or $50. "I wanted a good table so I shmeared the maitre'd with a fuftzikeh."

Gantseh Makher - Big shot, big man on campus. Usually sarcastic. Also, gantseh k'nocker.

Gay avek: - literally, Go away. Get lost! "Gay" means "go." In Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks, dressed as the Indian chief, holds up his arm to stop his warriors from attacking, and allows Cleavon Little et al to pass. Brooks cries out, "Loysem gayn!" which means "Let them go..." (i.e. "Allow them to pass.")

Gay kocken offen yom: literally, go shit in the ocean. Get lost; hit the road; beat it; piss off.

Gebrenteh tsoores - abject misery; grief like you wouldn't believe! Tsooris squared.

Gedaingst: (guh-dayngst) remember. "I told you he was no good! Gedaingst?!"

Gehockteh leber: (ge-hock-teh lay-beh) Chopped liver, both literally and in the sense of someone or something unworthy; beneath consideration. "She shook hands with everyone in the room except for me. What am I, gehockteh leber?" "She spent the whole night bragging about her jewelry. And what does she think I'm wearing? Gehockteh leber?" "What a bar mitzvah! They spared no expense! There was even a sculpture of their son made from gehockteh leber!"

Gelt: literally gold. Money. Hanukkah gelt are the chocolate gold-foiled coins traditionally given at the holiday.

Genug: (guh-nug) enough. "Genug es genug! (Enough is enough!) Stop with the kvitchering already!"

Geshrie: (geh-shreye) a scream. "It was just a little bug, but from the geshrie she let out, you'd think it was Alien."

Get: A Jewish divorce, separate from a civil divorce, which must be granted to the wife by the husband. Jewish women who have not been given a get, cannot be remarried in the Jewish faith, even though, according to civil law, they are divorced. Many a man has held this over a woman's head on spite or as a negotiating tool in civil court for custody or alimony. Dat's why you gotta getta get. (The Hebrew word for a woman without a get is Agunah, literally "chained.")

Gib a kick: literally, give a look. Check it out; take a gander; get a load of that.

Glick: luck "A glick ahf dir!" means "good luck to you" As usual, this phrase is often used sarcastically to mean "Big deal." or "THIS you call luck?"

Glitsch: (Oh, come on! This is practically English!) A bug in the ointment; an error in calculation; a screw-up that makes your plans go awry. A glitch, for G-d's sake!

Goldeneh hendts: (gold-en-eh hentz) literally, golden hands. Not to be confused with the "Midas Touch," this refers to able, talented, skillful hands. My husband is one of those guys who can make, build or fix anything. Whenever he successfully completes a chore for his mother or mine, inevitably they cluck approvingly, and say, with great respect, "Goldeneh hanz!" (i.e. "Oi! Such talent! He can do anything!")

Goldeneh medina: literally, City of Gold. The Land of Opportunity and Promise. America, (usually New York) for early Jewish immigrants.

Golem: A Jewish folk character -- an animate creature created out of inanimate material (the way God created Adam,) who acts as a rescuer or savior. Such creatures can only be created by the most holy and learned men, because the power to do so is God-like. There are many such stories in Jewish literature, the most famous of which is probably the Golem of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel who supposedly created his Golem to save the Jews of the Prague Ghetto from anti-Semitic attack. It is said that the original Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, was based on tales of golem. For further reading, go Here and Here.

Gonif: (gon-niff) thief, dishonest person, embezzler, unscrupulous businessman. "That gonif cooked my books and walked away with half a million dollars from my business!" Also, the kind of person who lifts this entire dictionary and puts it on their own website (with or without credit!) If you see this entry anywhere other than on Bubbygram.com...that person is a content-stealing gonif! (Please let me know!)

Goyim: (goy-im) Gentiles, in general. One gentile is a goy. See also, shiksa

Goyishe kup (goy-ish-eh kup) literally, a gentile head. Said about someone who doesn't "think like a Jew." Jews, for example, tend to think ahead, analyzing each situation, postulating contingency plans for every possible tragic outcome. This way, they're prepared for any horrible consequence. Considering the way Jews have been treated by the world throughout history, anticipating and planning for the worst case scenario is definitely a wise idea.

Goyishe nachas: The kind of pleasure that only non-Jews could enjoy. For example, bagging a 7 point buck deer, being elected president of the Hell's Angels, winning a lifetime supply of mayonnaise.

Gotkes: (got-kiss) long johns; warm winter underwear ("Shpatziring in Our Gotkes" is the Yiddish version of that favorite goyishe holiday carol, "Walking in Our Winter Underwear.")

Greps: belch. A mother burps her baby by patting him on the back and saying, "Greps, tatellah, greps." If the author of "Portnoy's Complaint" drank his seltzer too quickly, you might hear "The Greps of Roth." Greps vasser is "burp water," aka, seltzer.

Gribenes (grib-beh-ness) Fried chicken skins. The Jewish/kosher equivalent of fried pork (you should pardon the expression) rinds. Delicious little heart-attack pellets. Mmmmmm!

Gridje - (grij-eh) annoy, get under one's skin. (see also: tsegridjeneh ) "You know what really gridjes me? Not that he broke up with me, but that he acted like it was MY fault!"

Grobbeh yung: (grub-beh yoong) a coarse, crude, gross, profane young man. "Did you hear the mouth on him? I thought my ears would bleed! What a grubbeh yung!"

Gutinue! (Gut-in-you!) Good heavens! Oh my goodness! An exclamation often denoting disbelief or surprise. "Gutinue! You've grown so big since I saw you last!"

Gutte neshumah (goot-teh nesh-uh-mah): a good soul. A decent person with a good heart. "What a gutte neshumah, she is. When Ruthie was sick, she brought her soup every day!" (Also "zeiseh neshumah" - a sweet soul)

Haimish: down-to-earth, sympatico, approachable, a "haimisheh mensch" is a regular guy. "Haimish" and "Amish," both meaning "plain, simple" are from the same German root.

Hock mier en chinik: to "bang on my tea kettle." In other words, to make a lot of noise for no good reason, or yammering on about nonsense; beating a dead horse. "I told you no! I am not buying you Sugar-Frosted Chocolate Puffies cereal. It's chazzerai. Now stop hocking me in chinik!" As children, this is often misheard as "hock me to China" which makes about as much sense, I suppose.

Hondl: to bargain. "I hondled him down from $500 to $250 and he still tripled his money, that gonif!"

Hamentashen: a fruit-filled triangular pastry, traditional for Purim. (Because of its shape, it is occasionally used as slang for a woman's private parts, although it's not a common usage. )

Ibbergerblibbernis: (Ib-ber-ger-blib-er-ness) leftovers. "What's for dinner? Ibbergerblibbernis!" (If you have leftover blitzes, I guess that would be "ibbergeblibberneblintzes."

Ich vill nicht vesn: "I don't want to know!" "TMI!" It's like sticking your fingers in your ears and singing, "la la la laaaaaaaa" or Sargent Schultz of Hogan's Heroes saying, "I know NOTHINK!" Or, "I don't want to hear this...spare me the details." Similarly, "Ir vilt nisht vesn" = You don't want to know.

Kaddish: (kah-dish) prayer for the dead, which close relatives of the deceased are obligated to say for a year after their loved one's death. Parents might also say Kaddish for a child who has done something so terrible that, to the family, he or she is "dead." In the movie, The Jazz Singer, the father recites Kaddish for his son when he gives up his career as a cantor (one who sings the prayers in the synagogue) to pursue ragtime music. (Oi! You should never know such tsooris!!!) full prayer

Kadoches: (kad-o-chus) fever. "Kadoches mit koshereh fodem!" means "absolutely nothing!" (Lit., "fever with a kosher thread," whatever THAT means.)

Kapporeh: (kap-poor-reh) Atonement, sacrifice. Colloquially used to mean "good for nothing." See "Moishe Kapporeh"

Kasha: buckwheat groats. Sort of poor man's tabouli. Usually cooked with fried onions and bowtie pasta ("varnishkes") Back in Russia, groats were typically served to horses, and Jews were looked down upon for eating what the Russians considered animal feed (as if they needed another reason to justify their anti-Semitism!) What did they know! Kasha varnishkes is delicious!!! With some frizzled onions? Oi! Geshmak !"

Kaynahorah: (kayne-a-hurr-rah) literally, "no evil eye." Pronounced in order to ward off the evil eye, especially when speaking of one's good fortune. "Everyone is the family is happy and healthy, kaynahorah." "He'll be 86 in three weeks, kaynahorah." Another way to ward off the evil eye is to quickly spit three times (We're not talking hawking a big loogie. This is more like lightly spitting a poppy seed off the tongue.) "My daughter found a nice guy and it looks as if he's going to propose. Pthui, pthui, pthui."

Keppie: head, diminutive of keppellah. A child's head. "Here, tatellah. Put your keppie on my lap and gay shluffen (go to sleep.)"

Kibbitz: (kib-bits) to butt in, to mind other people's business, to watch over the shoulder of those playing cards and put your two cents in. Not to be confused with kibbutz (kib-bootz), which is a collective farm in Israel.

Killeh: (kill-eh) a hernia. A killeh-bendl is a truss. Bendl means "ribbon." (I think "Killer Bendel" would be a great name for a pro wrestler.) "We're only going away for the weekend! What did you put in this suitcase? [From lifting it], I'm gonna get a killah!"

Kinder: (rhymes with Linda) children. "Shhh! Zug gornisht! The kinder are listening! (Shh! Say nothing! The children are listening!) (see also Ret Yiddish)

Kishka: guts, intestines, literally and figuratively. "I was so upset, I was eating my kishkas out!" "Some secret agent! After 10 minutes of questioning, he spilled his kishkas!" Also, a sort of thick meatless sausage made with matzo meal and spices, stuffed into a traditional sausage casing. The pieces are thickly sliced and fried, and often served with gravy. Mmmm. Heavenly! You used to get kishka at every Jewish wedding and bar mitzvah, but you rarely see it any more. Also known as "stuffed derma," (or, as it was called on my husband's fency, shmency bar mitzvah menu, which his aunt recently found in a box of old papers, "Derma Farci." Yeah. Like that was gonna fool anyone into thinking they were eating French food!)

Klug (or klog) - Plague, worries, misfortune. "Oi! Klog iz mier!" means "Oh, woe is me!"

Klutz: (rhymes with "mutts") You don't know this one? It's practically English! A clumsy, uncoordinated person. "That klutz took up skiiing? He'll be lucky if he doesn't kill himself!"

Knaidl (the K is pronounced) matzo ball, matzo meal dumpling, usually served in chicken soup.

Knippl - a little pouch of money made from a tied hanky; a small knot; a nest egg or the little bit of personal spending money a housewife manages to stash away for herself from the weekly budget. Also, colloquially, an intact hymen (virginity).

Knish: (the K is pronounced) A yummy treat consisting of any one of a number of fillings, often mashed potato or kasha, wrapped in a thin dough, and baked. The best knishes in the world were at Mrs. Stahl's Knishes on Coney Island Avenue and Brighton Beach Avenue, in deepest, darkest Brooklyn, under the El. They had more varieties of knishes than Krispy Kreme has donuts. Note: a reader recently pointed out that this is a slang word for the female nether regions. Even though many Yiddish "dirty" words have actual neutral meanings, (see shmuck, shlong, shtup) when used alone, the "dirty" meaning is always implicit, the way "cock" or "dick" might be in English. I doubt the word "knish" alone would ever elicit a titter, although in context I see that it's apt. However, I include this somewhat uncommon slang usage (personally, I'd never heard it used that way) because I have been on a decades-long quest to find a Yiddish word....ANY Yiddish word... to describe that female body part. (see various notes on this subject under Hamentashen and Shmoonie)

K'nocker (the K is pronounced) a big shot (often used sarcastically) "He got elected president of the condo board and now he thinks he's a big k'nocker."

Kockamayme: (kock-a-may-mee): ridiculous, silly, crazy. "Afghanistan for vacation!? You and your kockamayme ideas!" Kockamayme is also the Yinglish version of "decalomania" or temporary tattoos which were first popular in the early part of the 20th century. Since our grandparents and parents always referred to them that way, most Jewish baby boomers also call them that. (also Cockamayme) Read outside article on the etymology of this word.

Kockeputzi: (ca-ca-poot-sie) a mish-mash, a bunch of stuff thrown together. "For dinner, I just opened a bunch of cans and made a kockeputzi." (Note: this is also an Italian baby word for "stinky poopie" i.e. poopie head.)

Koorvah: a trollop, a hooker, a prostitute. Or a woman who trades on her sexuality for money, gifts or position.

Koyach: (KOY-akh) literally strength; usually inner strength, wherewithal, energy, the heart for something. "My house is a mess, but I just don't have the koyach to clean." "I hate being single, but I don't have the koyach to deal with dating."

Kreplach (krep-lakh) Jewish ravioli filled with chopped meat, onions and a bissell shmaltz (a little chicken fat) served in chicken soup. (visit the link for the recipe.)

Krotz - Literally, scratch. Most often heard in the expression "to krotz oneself out" meaning, to overcome inertia; to motivate oneself to action; to get off your butt and DO SOMETHING; get around to it. "I wanted to go to that big sale at Bloomingdales, but I just couldn't krotz myself out." "By the time she krotzed herself out buy a new bathing suit for the summer, it was already October." Also used thusly: "Are you going to krotz around all day or are you going to mow the lawn, like I asked?"

Kuchelyn (kukh-ah-lane) a summer bungalow, usually in the Borsht Belt. Literally means "cook alone," i.e. one kitchen per family vs. the communal kitchens of the large hotels and guest houses where Jewish vacationers had theretofore spent their summers.

Kvell: to burst with pride from the achievements of your loved ones. (Two Jewish mothers talking: "Oi! I'm kvelling! My son finally graduated from law school!" "N.Y.U.?" "And why NOT me?")

Kvetch: complain. One can kvetch (complain) or be a kvetch (a complainer)

Kvitcher: whine, whimper. "Quit kvitchering. You'll live! It's only a paper cut!" (A kvitcherer is one who kvitchers)

Lantsman (lantz-man) a countryman. This word always reminds me of the very hilarious Gene Wilder film, "The Frisco Kid" in which he plays a Polish rabbi, sent to a congregation in San Francisco via Philadelphia in the 1890's. After being robbed and thrown from a carriage by some nogoodniks en route, he finds himself stumbling around, half-delirious from sun and hunger, in central Pennsylvania. He spots some Amish farmers who are dressed much like himself -- black coats, black hats, long beards -- and he runs toward them, thrilled to have found fellow Jews so far from home, yelling "Lantsmen! Lantsmen!" (He quickly keels over in a faint after seeing their Christian pocket bibles, but they nurse him back to health and give him money to help him continue on his journey.)

Lichticheh: (lich-tich-eh) literally, "lit up." Happy, shining, radiant, beaming. A big smiling face is a "lichticheh punim.

Loyzem gayne - Let them go! Leave them alone! Let them be! In Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, when Mel, as the Indian chief, allows Cleavon Little and his posse pass by unmolested, he raises his hand and says to his tribe, "Loizem gayne!"

"Luch in kup (lukh in kup): a hole in the head. "I need more bad news like I need a luch in kup."

Luckshen: egg noodles. "I heard you were sick, so I made you a little chicken soup with some nice luckshen." A luckshen strap is a cat o'nine tails.

Luftmensch: (literally, an "air man") a space cadet, someone with their head in the clouds, someone who dreams big but never acts. Someone with a PhD. in philosophy who drives a cab.

Luze zein shah: literally, "Let there be quiet!" "Shut up, already!" "Silence!"

Machareikeh (mach-ar-ri-keh)- a real Rube Goldberg contraption; something held together with spit and glue; a gimmick.

Machashafeh: (mach-uh-shay-feh): a witch, a conjurer, someone with psychic or supernatural powers.

Machatainisteh: (mach-uh-tain-nist-ah) Any female relative related by marriage, but usually used to refer to your son or daughter's mother-in-law; your grandchildren's OTHER grandmother. Yiddish is one of the few languages with a word for this relationships. "My machatainisteh is such a balleboosta!"

Machatunim (mach-ah-toon-'m) refers to the couple -- your child's in-laws; your grandchildren's other set of grandparents.

Macher (makh-ah) a "maker" -- a big shot, the big boss, the one who makes things happen, a mover and shaker, a rainmaker, a successful business person, Big Man on Campus. "He started out in the mail room and now he's a big macher. Runs the whole North American division!" "He gets elected to the synagogue director's board and now he thinks he's a big macher."

Mamma loshen - Mother tongue. If you're using this term, that language is probably Yiddish.

Mashgiach -(mash-gi-ach) the person who makes sure everything is Kosher in restaurants, hotels, catering halls, etc.

Matzoh: Passover "bread" -- aka "The Bread of Affliction" (according to the Passover story) and if you've ever eaten a lot of matzoh, you know why they call it that. It looks like perforated cardboard and tastes about the same. It is also constipating like you wouldn't believe! After eight days of matzoh, matzoh balls, matzoh bries, etc etc. you feel as if you're never going to be able to use the bathroom again. I'm certain that's what Moses meant when he said "Let My People Go!"

Maven: (rhymes with raven) an expert, often used sarcastically (as are many Yiddish words.) "He told me he'd do me a favor and fix this little problem I was having with my car. When he was finished with it, I had to have it towed to the garage where they charged me $1200 to undo his damage. Some car maven he is!"

Mayseh: story. It's also a very puritanical euphemism for vagina. A Yiddish-speaking woman, when conversing with her gynecologist, would probably refer to her naughty bits as "mein mayseh" (my story) or, even more euphemistically, "dorten" ("there")

Mazik: rascal, scamp, mischievous person. Often used affectionately about a child.

Mechaiyeh: (meh-khi-yah) a great pleasure. "What a terrible day I had! So I took a nice, hot bath. Oi! What a mechaiyeh!"

Megillah: (like Magilla Gorilla) literally, the story of Esther, told at Purim, which goes on and on and on. A long-winded story. "Just give me the highlights. I don't need the gantzeh megillah." ("I don't need the whole drawn out story.")

Meiskeit: (mees-kite) literally "ugliness." Unsually used as a noun to refer to an ugly, funny-looking, geeky, unattractive person. "Oi, did you see the meiskeit he's dating? A fashion model, she isn't!" "He's such a sweet baby, but oi! what a meiskeit!"

Meisseh Meshina: (mee-seh mesh-ee-nah) literally, an ugly/horrible death. It's a curse to put on your enemies. Some etymologists believe the derogatory word for Jews, "sheeny" came from this phrase. When Jews were tormented by anti-Semites, they would often curse their oppressors under their breath with a "meisseh meshina." The bullies misheard, and/or only remembered the "...shina" part, and mocked the Jews with it.

Mekki: (see Shmeckel)

Mensch: literally, "man," but usually referring to a decent human being, a good, honest person who always takes the high road. Being called a mensch is the ultimate compliment.

Metziah: (metz-see-yah) bargain, often used sarcastically. "They were having a sale on shoes, marked down from $800 to a mere $600. They call that a metziah? When they're $25 a pair, then I'll buy them! Now THAT, taka, is a metziah!"

Mirtsishem bi dir: (meerts-shem-by-deer) literally: "God willing, by you." You hear this often at weddings, said to parents of still-single children and to single people, themselves. "May you be making a wedding yourself, soon." "I wish upon you this same happiness."

Mishegoss: (mish-uh-goss) neurosis, craziness, psychological shtick, insanity, wacky idea, idée fixée, foolish notion. "Did you hear his latest mishegoss? He's quitting law school to become a drummer in a heavy metal band!"

Mishpucheh: (mish-pooch-hah) family, including extended family. "For the holidays, I invited the gansah mishpucheh." (The whole family)

Mishuggah: (mish-shug-uh) crazy, nuts, loony-tunes, bats in the belfry. "She thinks she's going to be a fashion model? Boy, she is really mishuggah!" A man who's mishuggah is a mishuggener (noun). When modifying a noun, it's: mishuggeneh. "That's a mushuggeneh idea."

Mittendrinen: (mitten-drin-nin) in the middle of everything. "We're having a serious conversation about our relationship, and, mittendrinen, he starts to talk about baseball!"

Mitzvah: (mitz-vah) A good deed. Giving to charity is a mitzvah. Caring for someone who's sick is a mitzvah. Rubbing your partner's feet is a mitzvah.

Moishe Kapoyr: (kap-OY-yer) Kapoyr means "backwards." A Moishe Kapoyr is "Mr. Contrary" Everyone goes left, Moishe Kapoyr goes right. "Everybody wants to go out for Italian but he insists on Chinese! What a Moishe Kapoyr!" (for more variations on this theme, see this article) (not be be confused with Moishe Kapporeh, see next)

Moishe Kapporeh: (kap-OR-rah) A worthless, good-for-nothing; a slacker. Based on the idiom, "darfn af kappores" -- basically, to need [whatever] like a hole in the head. "Shlug kappores" is the Yom Kippur ritual during which one swings a sacrificial chicken over one's head in a circular motion, as atonement for one's sins. (This is an Old World tradition, so no, I don't do this, nor have I evern known ANYONE who ever did...not even my great-grandmother!) "Bubby" calls this "poultry in motion." [To read sweet, short essay on Shlugging Kappores, outside link, click here.]

Moishe Mekhuyev: a high-class shnorror; a guy who lives off the patronage or favors of others and is thus obligated to them for his existence.

Mommashana: literally "pretty little mother" An affectionate way of referring to a little girl

Mommellah: literally, "little mother." Another affectionate way of referring to a young girl

Momzer: a bastard, used in the same literal and figurative senses as it is used in English. "My boss is such a momzer!"

Motsi: (MOW-tsee) The daily prayer over bread (or any other food that is considered "fruit of the earth" vs. food that is "fruit of the vine" or "fruit of the tree," each of which have their own prayer. ) Derives from a word within the prayer, "hamotsi," which means "to bring forth." (The full prayer is: "Baruch atah adonoy, elohanu melach ho'olum, hamotsi lechem min ha'aretz" = "Blessed art though, Our Lord, Our God, King of the Universe who brings forth bread from the earth.") While many families might ask "Who's going to say the motsi tonight?," in my family, we always called it the "Minnie Horowitz" from "min ha'aretz." (The blessing over the wine, which is "fruit of the vine" is: "Baruch...ho'olum, barei pree ha'gofin.") See also: bruchah

Mutcheh: (rhyme with "butcher") bother, annoy, harass, needle, pick on. "He mutchehs me night and day. The man won't let me live!" When my nephew was little, I used to tickle and rough-house with him. My mother would say, "Stop mutchering him, already!!" but the instant she'd walk away he whisper to me, "Come on! Mutcher me some more!" Obviously, HE didn't consider it mutchering!

Nachas: (rhymes with "loch S") pride, joy, pleasure, gratification felt at the accomplishments of loved ones such as children and grandchildren. "Oi! That boychik (little boy) is so smart! Three years old and already he can read! He gives me such nachas!" Nachas makes you kvell.

Nafka: a loose woman, a tart, a slut, a whore. Although it means the same as "koorvah," it's generally less severe. A "koorvah" probably does it for money and is more a "professional," whereas a nafka might do it just for fun or for psychologicial or emotionally needy reasons (i.e. she thinks it will make her popular.) "Kiki, you nafka, you!" -- Lenny Bruce.

Narishkeit: (nar-ish-kite) foolishness (a nar is a fool) "An artist, you want to be? Never mind this narishkeit! Better you should go to college and get a real job!"

Nayfish: a weak, pathetic, ineffectual person of little or no consequence. A human doormat.

Nebekh - unfortunate person, poor soul. "Esther, nebekh, is in such pain from her gall stones."

Nechtiker tog: literally, "yesterday's day. Colloquially, "Forget it! It's over with! Old news. It's not important any more."

Nextdoorikeh: (next-door-ik-keh) a next-door neighbor, of course! And an upstairs neighbor is, voo den? --- an "opstairsikah" (Yinglish, obviously)

Nisht du gehdacht: (nisht du geh dakht) literally, "May it never happen here!" Said after speaking of the misfortune of others. "Did you hear? Selma's son dropped out of medical school? Nisht duggehdacht!"

Nisht geferlich (nisht ge-fer-lich) Literally, not so terrible. (Nisht means "not," in case you didn't pick that up already ) I've seen worse or could be worse. "You broke your arm climbing a tree? Nisht geferlich! You could have broken your skull!"

Nisht gefloygen: literally, "It's not going to fly" Nobody is going to buy/believe that!

No-goodnik: This "Yinglish" word is pretty self-explanatory. Someone who's on the wrong side of the law; somebody with low morals; a trouble-maker.

Noodnik: (nood-nik) an annoying pain in the butt. A noodnik is one who nudjes (annoys); someone who is always "hocking" you "en chinik." "Fifteen times already you asked me that question and the answer is still no! You are such a noodnik!"

Nosh: snack, nibble. Both a verb and a noun. One can nosh between meals or have a little nosh between meals.

Nu: The simplest definition of “nu?” is “so?” (or even “well?”) but it's so much more than that. With one syllable and the proper inflection and body language (a sigh, rolled eyes, shrugged shoulders, a forward lean, etc.) you can ask any question in the world. I suspect prolific songwriter Doc Pomus (born Jerome Felder) was sending a secret Yiddish message in his lyrics: "This magic moment...so different, and so, nu?"

Nuchshlepper (nuch-shlep-per) a hanger-on, sidekick, a groupie. The kid who always tagged along with the popular kids hoping some of that popularity would rub off on him.

Nudje: a pest or to pester, badger. If you nudje relentlessly you, yourself, become a nudje. "Stop nudjing me! I'll take out the garbage after the ballgame! You are SUCH a nudje!"

Oif tsu loches: (oyf tsu-lukh-es) on spite, often as used as if God or Fate were doing the spiting. "I drove around the block for an hour looking for a parking place. Finally, I paid the twenty bucks and put it in a lot. Then, oif tsalochis, when I get to the restaurant, there's a spot right in front!" Also used, colloquially as "As luck would have it."

Ongeblussen: (on-geh-bluss-en) "all puffed up." An over-inflated sense of self-worth. To misquote Carly Simon, "You're so ongeblussen, you even think this song is about you."

Ongepatchket (un-geh-potch-ked): overly decorated, fussy, too busy (in the style sense) "Did you see those bridesmaid's dresses! Gevalt! Were they ongepatchket!"

Oysgeputst: (oys-geh-pootzt) overdressed for the occasion, over-embellished, overly decorated

Oysgematert: (OIS-ga-mat-urt) totally, thoroughy, completely, drop-dead exhausted

Oysvorf: an outcast, an unliked, unpopular person. A regular Osama bin Laden at a B'nai Brith meeting.

Oyver botl: Forgetful, senile. Having a case of CRAFT* (*Can't Remember a F*&ing Thing.) having a senior moment, absent minded, having a brain fart

Pareve: (pahr-rev) Containing neither milk nor meat, and thus table to be eaten with either. For example, bread, fruit, vegetables.

Paskudnyak (pas-kud-nyak) a disgusting, revolting, dishonest, unscrupulous, corrupt person.

Peckel: little package. Can be a C.A.R.E. package to a kid at camp, a backpack, a hunchback's hump or even a "bun in the oven" (i.e pregnant).

Pilpul: Talmudic debate, or any discussion which goes off into ridiculous hair-splitting tangents, to the point of completely losing the main thrust of the original argument. Jews are VERY good at this which is why we make such good lawyers!

Pish: piss "I laughed so hard, I pished mein hoysen." (I laughed so hard, I peed my pants.)

Pishachs: (PISH-akhs) piss, or, something that tastes like piss or is worth piss. "You call that wine? Tastes like pishachs!"

Pishkeh: literally, a little pisser. Someone small and insignificant, usually used to refer to a person who doesn't seem to realize what a nothing he actually is. The 98 lb. weakling who challenges the World Heavyweight to a fight. Someone with no experience who's ready to accept any challenge. Sometimes, pishkehs take on the world and win. I'm sure King David's mother scolded him, before he went into "battle" and said, "Oi! You little pishkeh! You think you're going to bring down that huge giant, Goliah, with a little pebble? I never heard such narishkeit!"

Plotka-macher: a gossipy troublemaker; the person who can't wait to tell nasty tales about other people. Far worse than a mere yenta, the malicious plotka-macher takes pleasure in stirring up a wasp's nest, causing bad feelings among people, being the bearer of scandalous news. They are not above telling lies to foment ill-feelings and break up relationships. (Think Nancy Marchand's character, Livia, on The Sopranos)

Plotz: literally to explode, to burst, i.e. from overeating, from excitement, from anticipation. "If I eat one more piece of cheesecake, I'm going to plotz!" "You got us tickets for Barbra's come-back concert!? I'm plotzing!" (most likely comes from the same root as explode.) Colloquially, however, this word is mainly used to mean faint, collapse, drop dead (i.e. from exhaustion, heat, hunger.) "It was so hot and crowded on that bus, I thought I would plotz!" Since posting this, I've heard from several readers who all say their family always and only used this word as a synonym for "faint" -- as did mine. The actual, literal meaning, however, is definitely "explode." But you can see, when the word is used to mean "exploding from excitement" (as in the Babs example, above) it might easily be misinterpreted as "fainting." I suspect this is a purely Yinglish usage (or misusage) however it's so common now, that few realize the literal meaning. see also challish

Potch: a generally painless, light, cup-handed slap. "If you don't stop kvitchering, I'm going to give you a potch on your toochis!"

Potchki: (potch-key) experiment, dabble, mess around, play around with. "I don't really paint. I just potchki." "I was just potchki-ing around in the kitchen with whatever I had in the fridge, but it turned out pretty good."

Poulkie: (pull-key) thigh, either human or animal. "I'm carving the turkey! Who wants a poulke?" or "You want to know why I don't wear a bathing suit? Because my poulkies look like pantihose filled with wet oatmeal!"

Ptcha: (sounds like a quick release of steam from a radiator.) Jellied calves feet, which makes me gag just to THINK about it. In the less famous line from "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" Joan Crawford asks Bette Davis what's for dinner, and Bette says, "Ptcha, Blanche. Ptcha!"

Punim: (poo-nim) face. A "shana punim" is a pretty or beautiful face. A "lichtikeh punim" is a happy, "lit up" face. A"zeiseh punim" is a "sweet face." Usually these expressions are accompanied by much cheek-pinching by elder relatives. A"mieseh punim" is an "ugly face." A "farbissenah punim" is a "sour face." (visualize Leona Helmsley.)

Pupik: (poup-ik) belly button. "It's bad enough you got your nose pierced, but now your pupik? Feh!"

Pushke: a little tin or jar used to collect money for charity. You might see several of these at the cash-register of Jewish-owned businesses, which collect donations for planting trees in Israel or Jewish orphans and widows (although they are not much different in purpose from those cards into which you slip quarters for Muscular Dystrophy or cans which collect change for Make A Wish.) Many Jews keep a pushke in their home, adding loose change each day. When it's full, the money is given to charity.

Putz: literally, a diminutive form of penis; a prick. Used, as we do in English to describe a nasty, unlikable man. A putz generally has no real power, except to make your life miserable or at least unpleasant, often in a passive-aggressive way. Whereas a shmuck can be thought of as a large, erect prick and putz, a small, limp one.

Rachmonis: (rach-mo-nis) sympathy, empathy, pity. "Look, my wife left me. My kid died his hair blue. Business is lousy. I know you're a landlord, but, please, have a little rachmonis and give me an extra week for the rent!"

Ret Yiddish! Speak Yiddish! Often, when Yiddish-speaking Jews (or parents with non-Yiddish speaking children) wanted to continue their conversation so others couldn't understand, they would switch to Yiddish. This was the signal to change over to the mama loshen.

Richtikeh: (rikh-tik-ah) real, right, correct, proper, legal. "Me? Wear cubic zirconia? I'll have you know this bracelet is the richtikeh thing!"

Riter: knight. I just learned this word, which is not exactly something that pops up in conversation very often, unless you play chess or are recounting the story of King Arthur in Yiddish. I just thought it was funny, 'cause who knew that "Knight Rider" was a Jewish program?

Sechel: (SEKH-l) common sense; smarts. "Six years in college, and still, he has no sechel."

Shiddach: a fix-up, an arranged marriage; these days, even an arranged blind-date. There is some speculation that the term "shotgun wedding" actually derives from "shiddach."

Shiksa: a non-Jewish woman. A "Shiksa Goddess" is a blond beauty, the type of woman who instills a deep longing in dark, short, swarthy Jewish men, (probably because she is the polar opposite of his mother.) Grace Kelly was the quintessential "Shiksa Goddess"

Shitterayn (shit-er-ayn) No, it's not a bad word! It means "pour." It's a tradition of cooking without a recipe -- by instinct and taste. A little bit of this, a little bit of that. "My bubby was a great cook but she cooked by shitteryne, and when she died, all her recipes died with her." A sweet little story about that here.

Shiveh: literally, seven, (in Hebrew) The seven days of mourning following the death of a close relative (spouse, parent, child, sibling.) During that period, mourners must sit on low boxes or crates, cover all the mirrors in their homes, rend (rip) their clothing (now reduced to a small, torn, black ribbon) and much more. (For additional info, go to this outside link)

Shlemiel: (shleh-meel) a clumsy, inept, pathetic, oaf. Trips over his own shoelaces and knocks over the $1000 vase.

Shlep: haul, carry, drag, either something or oneself. "I feel naked if I'm not shlepping at least 15 bags." "I shlepped all the way up to their new house in Westchester and she didn't even offer me lunch!"

Shlimazel (shlim-mazz-el) a bad luck Charlie, the guy with the rain cloud always over his head. When the shlemiel spills his soup, it's the shlimazel he spills it on.

Shlock: worthless junk, cheaply made goods. "The new 99c store in my neighborhood is open 24/7. It's called 'Shlock Around the Clock.'"

Shluff: sleep. "Shluff, now, mamellah." ("Sleep, little girl.") "Gai shluffen" or, more familiarly, "gai shluffie" means "Go to sleep."

Shlug (or shlog): beat, hit, belt (in the boxing sense.) Read an interesting article on the etymology of this word. And another, with a list of expressions using this word. For a sweet, short essay on Shlugging Kappores, click here.

Shlump: (both a noun and a verb) sag; lounge around in an unkempt manner, i.e. hang out in your sweats (i.e. shlumpy clothes). Or, a person who drags along, stoop-shouldered and unkempt.

Shmaltz: literally, chicken fat or rendered cooking fat. Also, thick, insincere praise; over-the-top, overdone, glitzy theatrics; gross sentimentality. Something shmaltzy is kitschy, overblown, overdone, rather tasteless, unctuous. "Madame X" with Lana Turner, is the classic shmaltzy movie. Cher's costumes are rather shmaltzy.

Shmata: (shmah-tah) a rag, either literally or in reference to clothing. The garment industry is known as the "shmata business." "This old shmata? I picked it up on sale at Loehmann's two years ago, half price!" "Marvin shlepped around his shmata until he was 7." (In this case, it would mean a tattered security blanket, which in baby talk is often truncated to "motti.")

Shmear: dollop, smear (n or v) "I'll have a bagel with a shmear" (meaning a shmear of cream cheese) Also bribery; grease the palm. "If you want a good table, you're going to have to shmear the maitre d'."

Shmeckel: a little penis, as on a young boy. (In baby talk, often "mekki.") While it's often used for children, it's also a cute, affectionate way of referring to a penis...like "winkie."

Shmeggegie (shmeh-geg-gee) a doofus, an idiot, a silly, foolish dolt. A hapless fool who's maybe not quite playing with a full deck. There's a whiff of emotional instability about such a person.

Shmendrik: a pathetic loser, hapless soul, an inept nincompoop; a schlemiel. (We Jews have a lot of words for such people!) Think of Jerry Lewis doing his "Ladieeeeeeeeeeesss!" bit.

Shmie (shm-eye) Stroll aimlessly about, with no particularly important place to go, other than, perhaps doing the occasional minor errand or meeting up with friends. Also, windowshopping. Having a "walk-about." "Where have you been?" "Nowhere. I was just shmying around..."

Shmitzik: a general word for any kind of small mechanical or electrical gizmo -- could be a switch, a lever, a bit of circuitry, a plug, a knob, some obscure bit of technology in your computer that's causing a glitch. "The TV reception is really bad. Jiggle that schmitzik and see if it helps." (In this case, it might refer to the cable connection or the antenna or a knob.)

Shmoonie: slang for a woman's private parts (OK, this is not actually Yiddish, but since I have yet to find the actual Yiddish word for this, I hereby submit this one, created by a childhood schoolmate's grandmother. It is used now throughout my extended circle of friends and family. It sounds like Yiddish so I say, let's call it "Yinglish" and use it often, spreading its use far and wide! Some updates: Another friend say her grandmother used to refer to her private parts as her "pookie" however in both my and my husband's families, we used that word to refer to male genetalia only. Maybe it's unisex? Another reader says "My late grandmother used the word 'schmoochky' when referring to female private parts. Hmmm...sounds like a combination of "shmoonie" and "pookie." Maybe we're on to something here... UPDATE! see below!

Shmoonda: FINALLY!!!! A real word for a woman's private parts!! My mother in law knew this word although nobody else I know ever heard it (including my own husband!) However, in researching my book, "Dirty Yiddish Slang" I have discovered that is an official slang (and dirty) word for vagina. (Thank you, Michael Wex, "Just Say Nu!") The English equivalent would be "pussy." And thus, it makes sense that "shmoonie" and "shmoochky" and similar "baby" words would have derived from this. You go shmoonie! -- I'm calling it OFFICIAL!!!

Shmootz: (rhymes with "foots") dirt, filth. "It never fails. Thirty seconds after I put on a white blouse, I'm covered in shmootz."

Shmootzik: dirty, filthy. ("oo" as in book) "I don't what my cleaning woman does here. I pay her $100 for the day, and when she leaves, my house is still all shmootzik." "I can tell you've been eating chocolate ice cream because your face is all shmootzik."

Shmooze: to talk socially, network, shoot the breeze, chat up, kaffee-klatsch.

Shmuck: Literally, "jewel" Another of the many Yiddish words for "penis." (perhaps the same meaning as "family jewels.") Although it has the same general meaning as putz, a shmuck often refers to someone with greater power or social/emotional status; someone who's intentionally nasty or uses their power for ill, whereas a putz is more ineffectual, easier to dismiss because he's beneath consideration or has no real effect on your life. (It's the difference between "jerk" and "total a$$hole." -- It's a very subtle difference, I grant you, and the line is often blurry.) Note: I recently had an almost Talmudic discussion with my brother-in-law about this subtle difference between a putz and a shmuck, and he summed it up perfectly: "One is erect, the other is limp."

Shnook: a gullible fool, a patsy, someone easy to take advantage of, a con man's mark. (Yinglish)

Shnorror: (shnor-ror) A begger; someone who always looking for a handout or a free ride; the guy who's always in the bathroom when the check comes; the person who's constantly borrowing but never returning; someone who's continually sponging off others.

Shpiel: game or play (as in a game or a musical instrument) Also, colloquially, a story, a sales pitch, a speech. "Don't give me the whole shpiel. Just tell me how much this is going to cost me." The word is similar in German. "Mad" King Ludwig built a "wasser spiel" (water game) in his castle in Bavaria. Hidden sprays of H2O would unexpectedly drench his unwitting party guests. At a large, outdoor table, the stone seats had design cutouts, from which water would spray up while his guests were dining. I'm sure the nobles of Europe found it wildly hilarious having their knickers soaked as the shnitzel was served. ("Oh that Luddie! He's such a card!")

Shondah: (rhymes with Honda) a shame, a pity. A "shonda for the goyim" means to do something shameful, publicly witnessed by non-Jews, thus bringing shame upon Jews in general (because, as we Jews well know, we are all held accountable for the worst deeds of the worst of us.) Also, "Such a smart girl like that. It's a shonda she's such a meiskeit (physically unattractive person)."

Shpilkes: (shpill-kiss) literally, pins. Ants in the pants, pins and needles, impatience. That feeling you have when you can't sit still from anticipation and/or anxiety. As Mike Myer's Linda Richman character would say, when she gets all worked up, "I have shpilkes in my genecktigazoink." (not a real word)

Shrek: noun. horror, terror. Shreklikh means "fearful, horrible, terrible." And the verb "shrekn" means to "frighten, terrorize, alarm." (It's no coincidence that everyone's favorite green ogre has a Yiddish name. After all, the book was written by William Steig, whose father was an Austrian immigrant to Brooklyn, NY) I always thought a great double feature would be: "Shrek," and "Godzilla" (which literally means "monster" in Japanese" Actually, it's "goh-ji-ra" ...but apparently Hollywood felt Americans couldn't pronounce that.)

Shtetl: a small village, usually all or mainly Jewish, in Eastern Europe; such as Anatefka, the setting of "Fiddler on the Roof." Most, if not all, of these villages are long gone, the inhabitants either wiped out by pogroms, killed by the Nazis or emigrated to the U.S. or Israel.

Shtick: piece, thing, bit, part. Also, an act or routine (as in comedy or vaudeville.) A "shtick drek" is a piece of shit, (literally or figuratively.)

Shtummie: a dummy; one who doesn't say much. ("shtum" mean silent) "Look at him! At home, he doesn't shut up, but the minute a pretty girl walks into the room, suddenly, he's a shtummie!!"

Shtup: literally, "push" but used colloquially to refer to the act of sex. It's the cleaner, Yiddish equivalent of f*$%. Madeline Kahn's Marlene Dietrich-character in "Blazing Saddles" was Lily Von Shtup. "No chuppie, no shtuppie" means "No wedding, no sex." (In other words, "You ain't gettin' any 'til you put that ring on my finger!" Of course, it's the butt of many a joke that Jewish wives don't put out much after marriage, either.) A shtupvegl is a pushcart.

Shvakh (rhymes with Scottish "loch") utterly, completely exhausted; drained of all energy.

Shvanz: (rhymes with "swans") Literally, tail. Colloquially, penis. (vulgar)

Shvartze: (adjective) Black, used in many of the same ways the word is used in English -- the color -- as well as dark, ominous, gloomy. Also in reference to contraband (i.e. black market goods).

Shvartzer: (noun) A black person. While in and of itself, no more derogatory than "Negro," the word is now similarly considered archaic and politically incorrect.

Shveyr arbiter: hard worker. My mother always called me this, sarcastically, when I was goofing off.

Shvindel - What, you can't figure this out yourself? A swindle. a fraud, a scam. A letter from the "widow of a Nigerian prince."

Simcha: a joyous occasion, a cause for rejoicing. A wedding, a bar mitzvah or any happy holiday.

Svet gornisht helfen: literally, it wouldn't help. "She's going to have a full makeover? Svet gornisht helfen! She first needs to lose 100 pounds!" (see also Toyten Bankes)

Tanteh: aunt. When I was a kid, I wanted to learn to speak Yiddish. My parents and grandparents all spoke it, but mostly as a secret language to keep us kids from understanding what they were talking about. Since it was not spoken TO me, nor fluently in the home, I never did learn to conversational Yiddish (although I obviously have a very large vocabulary of individual words and phrases.) ANYWAZE... flashback to me at age 10. I was trying to cobble together a sentence and kept asking my mother "How do you say this word?" "How do you say that word?" Ultimately, I came up with this: "Ich hob tantehs in mayn hoysen" which, literally translated means: "I have aunts in my pants." My family still jokingly uses the phrase.

Tatelleh: (tot-ell-lah) literally, little father, or little man. An affectionate way of refering to a boy or man. "Come here, tatellah, and let bubby kiss your zieseh punim!" (Come here, sweetheart, and let grandma kiss your sweet face!")

Tchatchkah: (chotch-kah, with the ch, in this case, pronounced like the ch in "child") literally, "treasure." A trinket, a bauble, a coveted object, a knick-knack. "My cleaning woman quit when she saw all the tchatzhahs she'd have to dust." Grandma might call her precious grandchild "Tchatzhkellah" which is the diminuative and means, "my little treasure."

Ti mir nit kayn toyves - "Don't do me any kindness/favors" (said sarcastically, of course!)

Toochis: (toukch-uss) rear end, behind, tush. "If I don't go on a diet, my toochis is going to need its own zipcode!"

Toochis lecher: (remember, the CH is gutteral!) vulgar. Literally, ass-licker, or ass-kisser. Often abbreviated to the less offensive, T.L.

Toochis ofn tish: literally, ass on the table. " Put your money where your mouth is." "Put up or shut up." "Stop talking and act, already." "Stop wasting my time and make the deal already!"

Toochis in droissen - (literally "ass in the outdoors") Bare-ass, tush hanging out.

Tokka (or takkeh or taka): really, truly. (While this word adds emphasis to nouns, it may technically be an adverb.) Cranks the meaning of the word the nth degree. "That, tokka, is a metziah!" ("That is some bargain!" Not just 10% off, but "Buy one, they give you the rest of the store free." ) "She's a gutteh neshumah, but she is, tokka, a meiskeit!" ("She's a good-hearted soul, but man-oh-man, is she ugly!" ) Note, the word is used BEFORE the article [a or an] and sometimes before the verb, as well. Thus, you wouldn't say, "She is a tokka meiskeit" but always "She is, tokka, a meiskeit" or even "Tokka, what a meiskiet!" or perhaps, occasionally, "What a meiskeit, tokka!")

Toyten Bankes: (toy-ten bohnk-ess) Bankes are the heated glass cups, used therpeutically to bring blood to the surface of the skin. It's an old-world remedy which has recently regained New Age popularity. (Years ago there was a photo of Gwyneth Paltrow in the tabloids covered in bankes "hickeys.") Toyt means "dead." The full phrase is: "Es vet helfen vi a toyten bankes" which means, "It'll help, like bankes will help a dead person." In other words, not at all. In Yinglish, it's "that'll help vi a toyten bankes." (see also Svet Gornisht Helfen)

Trepsverter - Literally "step words." That brilliant retort you WISH you had thought of in the moment; the perfect come back you think of, with 20-20 hindsight.

Treyf: Unkosher food, either because it is not kosher by its very nature (i.e. pork or shrimp) or because it mixes meat and dairy together. Although a hamburger might be made of kosher meat and a milkshake might be made under the strictest rabbinical supervision, eaten together, they would be treyf.

Trombenik: one who blows his own trombone. A blowhard, a braggart. A phony. A parasite. A BS artist.

Tsegridjeneh (tseh-grij-eh-nuh) (see also gridje) adj. seriously irritated at some one or something or conditions in general. "The whole political situation has me all tsegridgeneh"

Tsimmis: a stew made with meat, carrots, prunes and more, cooked for a long time until the flavors have melded and everything is nearly falling apart. Colloquially, used the way "big stew" means "big fuss" in English. A tempest in a teacup. "So, you both wore the same dress to the party! Don't make a big tsimmis about it."

Tsooris: (tsoor-riss) grief, heartache. "You think you've got tsooris? My daughter joined the Moonies. My wife is having an affair with the gardener. And I just lost $10,000 in the stock market!" (note: "Who's Got Bigger Tsooris" is a competitive sport in the Jewish Olympics.)

Tsucheppenish: (see tzheppah) An annoying pain in the butt who doesn't take a hint, and whom you can't get rid of. The boring office nerd who you made the mistake of being nice to once, and who now corners you every morning at the coffee machine to tell you the intricate details of his bug collecting hobby. Also, an irritating obsession such as those which plague TV detective, Adrian Monk.

Tummler:: a walk-around comic, made famous at the Borscht Belt hotels and bungalow colonies in New York's Catskill Mountains. These guys would interact with and entertain the guests poolside, during cocktail hour, etc.

Tzheppah: to bait. goad or provoke to a fight; to annoy or badger. More than irritating than mere nudjing or hocking, it's the kind of obnoxious behavior that might promp a backhanded zetz.

Ungehshtupped (or Ongehshtupped) (UN-geh-shtupt) adj. literally "stuffed up" meaning stuffed with money, loaded, Mr. or Ms. Moneybags. "He used to be a poor shlep but he had some glick and now he's ungehshtupped." (He used to be sad sack who just dragged around, but had some good luck, and now he's loaded."

Utz: to goad annoyingly, to bother; like a pebble in a shoe. "Quit utzing me or I'm gonna give you such a chamalyiah!"

Vantz: bedbug. And a bedbug in a test tube is...? A "vantz in a vial." (Voo den?) Also, a loathsome, repellent person, the way we use "worm" in English.

Varf: throw. Used mainly in the same varied way the word is used in English. If a child is throwing a tantrum, a mother might scold, "Stop varfing yourself! I am NOT buying you that toy!" My husband is a very restless sleeper, and many a night I an awakened by his elbow in my back or his arm across my face. If this goes on too long, I will jab him in the ribs and and say, in great frustration, "Will ya quit varfing yourself and let me sleep already!" Many years ago, my grandmother was passing through Boro Park, a neighborhood of Hasidic and ultra-orthodox Jews. She overheard a funny little bit that our family still laughs about: Two little yeshiva buchers were playing catch in a park. Ordinarily such boys are very polite, so imagine her surprise when she heard one yell impatiently to the other, from across the playground: "Varf the f*%@ing ball, Moishe!!"

Vi a fortz in rossel: like a fart in a barrel (or as we say in English, like a fart in the wind.) Aimless, without purpose. "He lost his job, and now he just wanders around the neighborhood, vi a fortz in rossel"

Vildeh chiyah: (vil-dah khi-yah) a wild animal, or someone who behaves like one. "That's the last time I'm letting her bring her kids to my house. They ran around like vildeh chiyahs and broke three of my favorite tchotchkahs!

Voo den?: literally, what then? In context, often means, "Well, what the heck did you expect"? or "You expected something different?" For example, "Your son is going to college? Where? Harvard?" "Voo den?"

Yahrzeit: (yars-tseit) literally "year time." The anniversary of a death, calculated by the Jewish calendar, at which time close relatives (children, siblings, parents) are religiously required to light a yahrzeit candle, which burns for 24 hrs, and recite Kaddish.

Yenemsvelt: literally, someone else's world. Far, far away; miles from anything remotely familiar; the suburbs of nowheresville; "They're moving to Kansas? Who moves to Kansas? It's yenemsvelt!" This is a humorous play on words: yeneh velt means "the other world;" in other words, the afterlife.

Yenta: a busybody; a gossip; a walking, talking National Enquirer. "I wouldn't tell that yenta anything. In twenty minutes, the whole world would know my business!"

Yeshiva bucher: (don't forget the gutteral chhhh!) Yeshiva (or Jewish school) boy. Typically, such teen-age boys are very studious, shy, sheltered, somewhat naive, and not at all into the "pop culture" things most typical American boys their age are into.

Yuchna: (YUKH-na) a coarse, loud-mouthed, boorish woman. A fish wife. A classless broad prone to making scenes and embarrassing and/or annoying everyone within earshot. (One needn't be poor to be a yuchna. There are plenty of well-dressed, monied yuchnas out there. Just watch "Housewives of New Jersey.")

Yutz: a hapless, clueless, annoying socially clumsy guy. "You want to fix me up with Stanley? Forget it! I went out with that yutz last year and once was quite enough!"

Zadnitze: vagina. Although Yiddish has dozens of common words for a man's private parts (shmuck, shmeckel, putz, etc.) it took me YEARS to find this word! I've never actually heard it used in conversation, and even fluent Yiddish speakers I've asked never heard of it. UPDATE: This from a Russian reader: "Zadnitze is not vagina, which is why nobody knew the word. This word (correct form - zadnitza) means an ass (from zad - backside) in Russian." OK, so we're back to square one. See shmoonie

Zaideh: grandpa. I jokingly refer to my nephew's college fraternity as "Zeta Eta Shiksa."

Zayer naytik: very necessary. Often used sarcastically. "New shoes? Zayer natik! You already have 20 pair you never wear!" "Zayer naytik! You needed that like you needed a hole in the head." There used to be a large chain of very shlocky discount stores throughout New England called Zayre's. They were based in Natick, MA. Driving up the Mass. Pike, heading into Boston, you'd pass the sign for Natick, then the big Zayre's HQ. I always wondered whether this was some sort of inside joke, perpetrated by whoever named the store (it was, after all, a Jewish-owned company), or if it was purely serendipidous. In any case, anything you bought at Zayre's was "zayer naytik" in its most sarcastic sense!

Zaytik: unnecessary, extraneous, unimportant, irrelevant. (not to be confused with zayer naytik, above, which only has the same meaning when used sarcastically, which it often is.)

Zeiseh: (zee-suh) sweet. "A zeisen Pesach" is how you wish someone a "sweet Passover." A zeiseh punim is a sweet face. Bubby might call her grandson, "Zeiseh boychik." (sweet little boy)

Zetz: a smack or whack. Less than a chamalyiah but more than a frosk (slap.) "If you don't stop that carrying on, I'm going to give you such a zetz!" Or, "I hit my head on the shelf in the closet and gave myself some zetz!"

Zoftig: literally, "juicy." Although it has come to mean fat, it is really a compliment, meaning a buxom, lush, "juicy." Marilyn Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith were zoftig. Audrey Hepburn and Callista Flockhardt were/are decidedly NOT zoftig.

Zolst ligen in drerd!: literally, "You should lie in the earth!" In other words, "drop dead."

Zshlub: (the "zsh" is pronounced like the G in Gigi) a sloppy, disgusting, unkempt, lazy slob. A very onomatopoeic word!

Zug gornisht: literally, say nothing. "Keep in under your hat" or "Shhhh, I think others are listening." As children, we'd often walk into a room and suddenly, our parents' conversation would stop cold, and one of them would say: "Zug gornisht....der kinder!" ("Shhh! The kids [can hear us]!") We knew, whatever they'd been talking about, had to be juicy! Some kind of forbidden adult talk, for sure!. Casually, we'd leave the room, feigning innocence, then try to eavesdrop once their conversation resumed.

Goyim: (goy-im) Gentiles, in general. One gentile is a goy. See also, shiksa

Goyishe nachas: The kind of pleasure that only non-Jews could enjoy. For example, bagging a 7 point buck deer, being elected president of the Hell's Angels, winning a lifetime supply of mayonnaise.

Greps: belch. A mother burps her baby by patting him on the back and saying, "Greps, tatellah, greps." If the author of "Portnoy's Complaint" drank his seltzer too quickly, you might hear "The Greps of Roth." Greps vasser is "burp water," aka, seltzer.

Knippl - a little pouch of money made from a tied hanky; a small knot; a nest egg or the little bit of personal spending money a housewife manages to stash away for herself from the weekly budget. Also, colloquially, an intact hymen (virginity).

Mirtsishem bi dir: (meerts-shem-by-deer) literally: "God willing, by you." You hear this often at weddings, said to parents of still-single children and to single people, themselves. "May you be making a wedding yourself, soon." "I wish upon you this same happiness."

Zolst ligen in drerd!: literally, "You should lie in the earth!" In other words, "drop dead."