|
abi | as long as |
|
aha | expletive signifying a myriad of meanings |
|
aleichem | to you (shalom aleichem & aleichem shalom) |
|
aliyah | to emigrate to Israel; to be called up to the Torah |
|
alter kocker | an old codger |
|
Ashkenazi | Eastern European Jew |
|
ay ay ay | an interjection - wonderful or painful |
|
bagel | hard glazed donut shaped roll |
|
balebos | a boss man: head of household |
|
balebusta | female boss; unbelievably capable homemaker |
|
bar (Heb.) | son of |
|
bar mitzvah | a 13 yr old boy's coming of age ceremony |
|
bas (Heb.) | daughter of |
|
bas mitzvah | a 12 or 13 fir old girl's coming of age ceremony |
|
bashert | predestined; meant to be |
|
bialy | Oat breakfast roll with a depressed center usually sprinkled with onion |
|
bissel (bissl) | a little, a bit |
|
blintz | filled pancake - sauteed or baked |
|
bonditt | a crook; a mischevious or (sometimes) a clever fellow |
|
borsht | cold or hot beet soup |
|
boychik | young boy |
|
bris | circumcision ceremony |
|
brokha | blessing |
|
brokh | misfortune |
|
bubbe | grandmother |
|
bubbemayse | nonsense; old wive's tale |
|
bubelah | darling, sweetheart - especially a child (lit. "little grandma") |
|
bubkes | nothing - an insulting sum or price |
|
bokher | yeshiva student (lit. chosen) |
|
bulvon | a brute |
|
chai (khay) | life; the number 18 |
|
chaim (khayim) | a man's name meaning "life"; |
|
chaim yankel | a country bumpkin |
|
challah | soft, braided ceremonial bread glazed with egg white |
|
chochma | wisdom |
|
cholent (tsholnt) | a Slowly cooked stow begun before Sabbath and eaten after |
|
choleria (kholerya) | a plague - used as a curse (M. cholera) |
|
chossen (khosn) | groom |
|
chuppa | wedding canopy |
|
chutzpa | unmitigated gall; nerve; daring; gall |
|
daven | to pray; agonize over a decision |
|
deli | prepared food, or piece where it is sold |
|
derinnen | thing - "in mitn derinnen' - in the middle of the thing |
|
dreck | garbage; something of poor quality (lit. keel |
|
driml | dream |
|
ek | end |
|
emmis | the truth |
|
er | suffix - plural |
|
farbissener | embittered person |
|
farblondget (farblondzhet) | gone astray. lost your bearings confused, mixed up |
|
farfel | farfl noodles in the form of small pallets, granules or squares |
|
farmisht | confused; mixed up |
|
farpatshket | messed up |
|
fartutst | befuddled |
|
feh | exclamation of disgust or disapproval |
|
feygele | an effeminate or gay male (lit. little bird) |
|
flanken | boiled flank steak |
|
fleyshik | made with meat |
|
fonfer | to stutter: a double talker; bluffer; cheater |
|
freilich | happy, joyous |
|
fress | eat, especially a lot or quickly |
|
frum | religious; observant |
|
gefilte fish | fish cakes (lit. "filled fish") |
|
gelt | money |
|
geshmak | extremely tasty |
|
get | a religious divorce |
|
gevalt | exclamation of help or fear |
|
gezunt | health |
|
ghetto | neighborhood; quarter of a city where Jews were required or chose to live |
|
glatt | strictly kosher (lit. smooth) |
|
glick | luck |
|
glitch | a minor detect, mishap, or malfunction in a machine. esp. a computer |
|
goniff | thief; rascal |
|
gornisht | nothing |
|
gotenu | oh my God |
|
gott | God |
|
goy | a non Jew, a gentile |
|
grosse | big |
|
gutt | good |
|
halakha | Jewish law |
|
halvah (Arabic) | crushed seam candy in a syrup base |
|
hartz | heart |
|
hasid | member of ultra orthodox hasidic Jewish sect |
|
heder | room - especially a school room |
|
heymish | cozy; homey; familiar |
|
hok to | yak; nag, strike; as in "hok a tshaynik" - to yak a Id |
|
hondel | to bargain |
|
hu ha | expression meaning surprise envy or admiration |
|
ic | suffix |
|
im | suffix meaning plural |
|
in | in |
|
is | is |
|
ish | suffix meaning being like |
|
kaddish | mourner's prayer |
|
kalle | bride |
|
kasha | buckwheat groats |
|
keppele | (lit. "little head") usually used affectionately with a child |
|
khaver | friend |
|
khazer | pig; person who is a glutton or selfish |
|
khazeray | fifth, trashy food; assortment of items, junk, nic Am |
|
kibosh | something that serves as a check or stop |
|
kibitz | chit chat; discuss informally; to comment while watching a game or working |
|
kind | child |
|
kinohora (keyn ayn-hora) | sort Vie evil eye |
|
kishkes | guts intestines |
|
klezmer | Eastern European Jewish folk music |
|
klog | Woo |
|
klug | smart or clever |
|
klutz | a clumsy person |
|
knaker | big shot someone who thinks they are very important |
|
kneidel (kneydl) | a dumping - usually made of matzo meal |
|
knish | dumpling usually made of potato or kasha |
|
kop head (loch in kop) | a "hole in the head" |
|
kosher | in accordance with Jewish dietary laws; honest |
|
kreplach | stuffed dumplings ~ usually served in a soup |
|
kugel | noodle or potato pudding |
|
kveil (kvel) | to be delighted; beam with pride; especially over children |
|
kvetch | a complainer; to complain |
|
lacht | laughs |
|
landsman | person from the old neighborhood or country |
|
latke | potato pancake |
|
leben | life |
|
liebe | love |
|
litvak | Lithuanian Jew |
|
loch | hole - 'loch in kW (lit. hole in the bead) |
|
lokshn | a tall thin person (lit. noodle) |
|
lox | smoked salmon |
|
loyf | run |
|
luft air ("luftmensch") | an Impractical fellow - a dreamer |
|
machen (makhn) | make |
|
macher (makher) | important person; big shot a "mover" |
|
makheteneste | your daughter or son's mother-In-law |
|
makhetunim | your spouse's extended family |
|
machuten (mekhutn) | your daughter or son's father-in-law |
|
madela (meydela) | young girl |
|
mama | mother |
|
mamela | little girl (lit. little mother) |
|
matzo | unleavened bread |
|
maven | expert; connisseur |
|
mazel (mazi) | luck |
|
mecheieh (mekhaya) | a pleasure |
|
megillah (megilla) | a long, complicated story |
|
mensch (mentsh) | a decent fellow, a decent human being |
|
meshugge | crazy person; nuts (meshuggener - crazy man) |
|
meshuggeneh | crazy woman) |
|
metsieh | a lucky break; bargain |
|
mishegos | craziness |
|
mikvah | ritual bath taken by Jewish women before getting married & other occasions |
|
michlig (milkhik) | milk product |
|
mir | me |
|
mish | mosh a mix up |
|
mishpocha (mishpokha) | family |
|
mit | with |
|
mitn | middle 'in mitn derinnen - out of the blue |
|
mitzvah (mitsva) | a good deed (Iit. commandment) |
|
momzer | rascal rogue (lit. bastard) |
|
naches (nakhes) | pride & joy delight |
|
nebbish (nebekh) | a sad sack |
|
nar | a fool |
|
nik | suffix dandling a person or thing |
|
nosh | a snack; to snack |
|
nu | exclamation meaning well or, so |
|
nudge (nudzh) | a bore or pest; to bore or pester; to push |
|
nudnik | a pest |
|
ongeblozzen | bloated; puffed Lip; overdone |
|
ongepotshket | messed up; slapped together |
|
ongeshtopt | very wealthy (lit. "stuffed") |
|
oy | exclamation |
|
oy oy oy | exclamation |
|
pareve | dietetically neutral; made without meat or milk |
|
patshke | mess around, fiddle with things |
|
pesach (peysekh) | passover |
|
peyes | uncut sideburns grown by orthodox males |
|
pisher | a young squirt |
|
plosher | a braggart |
|
plotz | to fall down extremely fired (14. to burst) |
|
punim | face |
|
pupik | navel |
|
pushke | charity container kept at home |
|
putz | a real jerk (lit. penis); more offensive than "shmuck" |
|
rachmones (rakhmones) | pity, compassion |
|
rabbe | rabbi |
|
sachel (seykyl) | street smarts |
|
safta (Heb.) | grandmother |
|
schneid (Ger.) | to shut out an opponent |
|
sephardi | an Iberian or Middle Eastern Jew |
|
seykhl | common sense, street smarts |
|
shm | sound used as a dismissing prefix |
|
shadchen | a professional matchmaker |
|
shaineh (sheyneh) | pretty |
|
shalom (sholem) | Heb. lit. peace; hello/good-bye |
|
shanda (shand) | a shame; embarrassment, humiliation |
|
shaytl (sheytl) | wig traditionally worn by European orthodox Jewish women |
|
shekel (Heb.) | money |
|
sheygets | a gentile man |
|
shiddach (shiddekh) | an arranged marriage; an arranged business relationship |
|
shikker | drunk |
|
shikse | gentile Woman |
|
shiva | period of mourning |
|
shlemeil | a simpleton unlucky person |
|
shlemazl | a fool; bungler; unlucky person: pathetic loser: nerd |
|
shlep | a bore or jerk; to carry or drag around |
|
shlock | junk, items of poor or worthless quality; cheap |
|
shluff | sleep |
|
shlug | to beat |
|
shlump | sloppy person |
|
shmaltz | wealth; corny; overly decorated (lit. chicken fat used for cooking,
or eating) |
|
shmatte | dress or garment (lit. rag) - can be used as a compliment or insult |
|
shmeer | a bribe; flattery; to bribe (lit. spread) |
|
shmegege | silly or stupid person; a simpleton |
|
shmendrik | an ineffectual or insignificant person |
|
shmo | a simpleton |
|
shmooze | to idle around and talk shop |
|
shmuck | a jerk (lit. penis) |
|
shmutz | dirt |
|
shnook | a dope or fool |
|
shnorrer | someone who takes more than his share, chiseler, beggar |
|
shnoz | nose |
|
shpilkes | jitters, nerves, anxious, inpatient (IN. pins) |
|
shtarker | a stout fellow; a strong person |
|
shtetl | a small town |
|
shtik | a routine or behavior, especially an actors |
|
shtunk | a stinker; an unpleasant person |
|
shtup | to stuff, screw or bribe |
|
shul | synagogue |
|
shvitz | to sweat |
|
simca | happy occasion |
|
soyne | enemy |
|
tallis | prayer shawl |
|
tam | taste |
|
tata | father |
|
tchotchke (tshotshka) | insignificant item, toy or ornament |
|
toches (tokhes) | butt |
|
tov (Heb.) | good |
|
tracht | thinks |
|
treyfe | unclean, non-kosher, forbidden |
|
tsaddik | a righteous person |
|
tshaynik | teapot (commonly used in "hok a tchynik" - to yak a lot) |
|
tsimmes | a vegetable stew; big deal; fuss |
|
tsdaka (tsdoka) | charity (14. justice) |
|
tsurris | calamity, trouble |
|
tsitses | fringe (of a talis) |
|
tummel | commotion |
|
tummler | funmaker |
|
un | and |
|
utz | nag |
|
vakakta (farkakt) | screwed up |
|
vance (vants) | post (lit, bed bug) usually used regarding a child |
|
veit | world |
|
vey | when preceded by "oy" - an expression meaning 'oh my God" |
|
veyn | cry |
|
vigorish (Ukranian) | interest paid to a moneylender; lit. profit |
|
vuss | what |
|
Yankel | country bumkin (when preceded by "chaim") |
|
yenta | a busybody. gossip or meddler |
|
yeshiva | school |
|
yichis (yikhes) | pedigree, lineage |
|
Yiddish | language of Central & Eastern European Jewry |
|
yold | a fool |
|
yuntov (yuntef) | holiday (lit. good day) |
|
zaftig (zaftik) | juicy plump, buxom |
|
zayda | grandfather |
|
zetz | a punch or blow |
|
zhlub | disheveled, pathetic person |
|
zits | sit |
|
zy | go
|
