![]() Mishpocheh-or mishpokhe or mishpucha, depending on who you're talking to-literally means "family." However, the Yiddish word doesn't refer to your blood relatives like you'd think rather, it's meant to be used when talking about those close friends that are like family, even though they aren't blood relatives. As a parent, you can use this word to refer to your kids' antics, saying something like, "You all need to stop this mishegas!" Mishpocheh Sometimes spelled meshugas or mishegoss, this Yiddish word is synonymous with insanity, silliness, and craziness. ![]() ![]() To call someone a mensch is to call them an honorable and admirable person-and using the word to refer to somewhere, therefore, is considered to be a huge compliment! However, the Hanukkah product hardly makes it clear what the noun actually means. Thanks to the popularity of the Shark Tank-famous Mensch on a Bench, it's possible that you're already somewhat familiar with the Yiddish word mensch (pronounced "mench"). Any time there is something to celebrate, it is appropriate to shout out a mazel just don't use it when a woman is pregnant, as superstitious individuals believe that this might cause something to happen to the baby. That's because in Yiddish, this is what people say when they want to congratulate someone or wish them good luck. Mazel TovĪttend any bar mitzvah or Jewish wedding and you'll hear the phrase m azel tov used in every other sentence. As a noun, this word describes someone who complains far too frequently, and as a verb, it refers to the act of said complaining. You really don't want someone to call you a kvetch or telling you that you're kvetching too much. This verb, taken from the Yiddish language, is used to indicate that one is bursting with pride over the actions and accomplishments of someone else. You yourself might even kvell without knowing it whenever someone close to you gets a promotion or overcomes a big hurdle. And keppie, in case you didn't grow up in a Jewish household, is just a much sillier way of referring to the forehead.īubbes always kvell over their grandkids' soccer matches and good grades. Jewish mothers love to kiss their kids' keppies. And when there are multiple non-Jewish people in a group, you refer to them not as goys, but as goyim. Quite simply, a goy is just someone who isn't Jewish. Though the Yiddish word originally had an entirely negative connotation, it is now used as a slang word in everyday conversation both positively and negatively. According to Merriam-Webster, this noun is synonymous with nerve and gall and is used to describe someone with the utmost confidence and audacity. Wherever you can use the word nothing, you can use the word bupkis. So, the next time someone asks you how much you know about, say, outer space, just tell them that you know bupkis! Chutzpahīeing told that you have chutzpah isn't always a compliment. This is one of the Yiddish words you can use when, for example, you want to emphasize that you (or perhaps other people) know zip, nada, zilch about a subject matter. (Jeremy Busch, a Grand Panjandrum in the Alpha Agora, didn't have to schmooze us at all to get us to run today's amusing Good Word.The word bupkis means nothing. This name in Hebrew is yishmaçel "God heard", from yishmaç, an archaic past tense of shama "hear, heard" + 'el "God". Yiddish gathered this word from Hebrew shêmuça "report, rumor, something heard", the passive participle of shama "hear, heard". Word History: Today's Good Word, as mentioned above, comes to us from Yiddish, from the word schmues "a chat", the noun for the verb shmuesn "to chat". You are far more likely to get promoted if you just keep your nose to the grindstone."), and, of course, on the hustings: "Sidney, you have to spend more time schmoozing millionaires if you want to get elected." In Play: Schmoozing takes place everywhere, at home ("Billy, see it you can schmooze mom up for $5 so we can go to the movie"), at work ("Schmoozing will get you nowhere at this place. A schmoozer is someone who schmoozes frequently and effectively. It comes with a participle, schmoozing, which serves as an adjective and activity noun. It is clearly a part of all English dialects now. Notes: Here is yet another contribution to English from Yiddish. To chat up, to converse with in order to gain some advantage. To engage in a long, casual conversation, to chat, to gossip.
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