Fun Yiddish Words You Can Use To Confuse Your Non-Jewish Friends (2024)

FAQs

What does Pishka mean in Yiddish? ›

For the uninitiated, a pishke (pronounced pish-kah or sometimes affectionately called a pish-key) is a private stash of cash saved up out of the household money a husband gave his wife.

If you want to describe a crazy person in Yiddish you would call them “Meshugener'. The adjective is 'Meshugge'. via GIPHY. Mishpuche/ Mishpucha. The Yiddish word 'Mishpuche' stems from the Hebrew “Mishpacha” and means family.

A schmatta is a small piece of thick cloth, smaller than a hand towel but larger than a washcloth. The origins of the term schmatta are Yiddish, and usually refer to old or torn pieces of clothing.

Definitions of schmegegge. (Yiddish) baloney; hot air; nonsense. synonyms: shmegegge. type of: bunk, hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality. a message that seems to convey no meaning.

Have you ever heard the Yiddish word “Shluffy?” It is a very loving word that tells your little one it's time to “go to sleep.” My daughter Stefanie always had an easy time going to sleep.

בובעלע bubele (little doll; fritter) from Hebrew word בובה buba.

“Schmooze” derives from the Yiddish shmuesn, which in turn derives from Hebrew shemuah, meaning “rumor.” Its earliest written reference dates to 1897. When the term was borrowed into American English, it originally meant to have a warm conversation—to shoot the breeze—to pass the time chatting.

n. "' Little papa.' A term of endearment for a little boy. Old-fashioned usage." (Eisenberg)

The word “bubbala,” says Haft, is Yiddish for “l*ttle darling” or something to that effect. But technically, she says, bubbala means “little grandmother.” Addressing a young girl as “l*ttle grandmother” imbues good luck, so that one day she may be a grandmother herself.

What is the word nebbish mean? ›

nebbish \NEB-ish\ noun. : a timid, meek, or ineffectual person.

Although schmuck is considered an obscene term in Yiddish, it has become a common American idiom for "jerk" or "idiot". It can be taken as offensive, however, by some Jews, particularly those with strong Yiddish roots.

variants or less commonly momser or momzer. ˈmämzə(r) plural -s. : a child of a union not sanctioned by biblical law as interpreted by the rabbis. [Yiddish mamzer, from Hebrew mamzēr] : a child born out of wedlock.

Chacham (also spelled chakham, hakham or haham) – a wise or learned man, usually a great Torah scholar.

Nice, good (used as an interjection, not adjective).

Kvell comes from Yiddish kveln, meaning "to be delighted," which, in turn, comes from the Middle High German word quellen, meaning "to well, gush, or swell." Yiddish has been a wellspring of creativity for English, giving us such delightful words as meister ("one who is knowledgeable about something"), maven ("expert") ...

The name has entered Yinglish—i.e., become a Yiddish loanword in Jewish varieties of English—as a word referring to a woman who is a gossip or a busybody. The use of yenta as a word for 'busybody' originated in the age of Yiddish theatre.

Naches (נחת) is a Yiddish word that means "pride" or "joy." Typically naches refers to the pride or joy that a child brings a parent.

Habibi (ha-BEE-bee): Sweetie. Darling.

Verklempt (pronounced “fur-klempt”) means overcome with emotion, perhaps even choked or clenched by emotions. Verklempt is a Yiddish loanword.

What does Nisht mean in Yiddish? ›

April 19, 2015. A reader notes that nisht and nit are both used in Yiddish to denote “not,” often in the same paragraph or song lyric.

The name "Shrek" is the romanization of the Yiddish word שרעק (shrek), or שרעקלעך (shreklekh), related to the German Schreck and meaning "fear" or "fright".

: a stupid, worthless, or unattractive person.

: to spend time in an aimless or idle manner : putter, fool around. usually + around. But come July or August, I invariably find myself putzing around the kitchen, making something sort of weird, like potato-Roquefort salad sandwiches, heavy on the dill.

(In Yiddish, from the Polish word puszka, which means tin can.)

From Yiddish תּחת‎ (tokhes, “buttocks”), in turn from Hebrew תַּחַת‎ (tákhat, “buttocks”).

putz (plural putzes) (slang, derogatory) Fool, idiot.

slang. : buttocks. These wise words recognize the truth about teens: They're a tremendous pain in the tuchus.

Bubbe, Zayde. Pronounced "Bubbeh" or "Bubbee" and "Zaydeh" or "Zaydee". The Yiddish words for grandmother and grandfather.