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The First Words You Learn Selected Yiddish Words and Phrases - impress your friends and family A BI GEZUNT: So long as you're healthy. Expression means, "Don't worry so much about a problem, whatever it is. ALTER COCKER: An old and complaining person, an old fart. AY-YAY-YAY: A Joyous, or at times sarcastic, exclamation. BALABUSTA: The wife of an important person or a bossy woman. BERRYER: Denotes a woman who has excellent homemaking skills. "Vilda Chaya," a wild animal, is a term used to describ e unruly children. gall, as in a person who kills her parents and asks for mercy because she is an orphan. FRESS: To eat like an animal, ie, quickly, noisily, and in great quanti ty. Oy Gevalt is often used as expre ssion meaning "oh how terrible." Often said in parting but can be sp oken with irony to mean, "go do your own thing." GONIF: A thief, a tricky clever person, a shady character. GOY: A derogatory term meaning gentile, goyim is the plural, and goyisher is the adjective. Often used in a sarcastic manner, as in what did you g et from her? A haimisher mensch is someone you feel comfo rtable with. KIBITZ: To offer comments which are often unwanted during a game, to teas e or joke around. KINE-AHORA: A magical phrase to ward off the evil eye or to show one's pr aises are genuine and not tainted by envy. To hit someone in the "kishka" means to hit hi m in the stomach or guts. KOSHER: Refers to food that it prepared according to Jewish law. KVELL: To beam with pride and pleasure, Jewish parents are prone to kvell over their children's achievements. KVETCH: To annoy or to be an annoying person, to complain. LOCH IN KOP: Literally a hole in the head, refers to things one definitel y does not need. LUFTMENSH: A dreamer, someone whose head is in the clouds. MAZEL TOV: Good luck, usually said as a statement of support or congratul ations. The phrase "a messa mashee af deer" mea ns a horrible death to you and is used as a curse. Some have suggested t hat Masheena is the origin for the insulting name for Jews of sheeny. An individual of recognized worth because of noble values or actions. MESHUGGE or MESHUGGINA: Crazy, refers to a more chronic disturbance. MISHEGOSS: Inappropriate, crazy, or bizarre actions or beliefs. Jewish children a re expected to provide their parent with naches in the form of achieveme nt. ONGEPOTCHKET: Messed up, slapped together without form, excessively and u nesthetically decorated. PISHER: A bed-wetter, a young inexperienced person, a person of no conseq uence. PLOTZ: To burst, to explode, "I can't laugh anymore or I'll "plotz." PUTZ: A vulgarism for penis but most usually used as term of contempt for a fool, or an easy mark. SCHLOCK: A shoddy, cheaply made article, something thats been knocked aro und. Usually refers to overly emotional and s entimental behavior. SCHMUCK: A vulgarism for penis, strong putdown for a jerk, a detestable p erson. The expression "a shanda fur die goy" means t o do something embarrassing to Jews where non-Jews can observe it. SHAYGETS: A gentile boy and man, also means a clever lad or rascal. Can refer to a person, a "shlepper," wh o is unkempt and has no ambition. SHLIMAZL: A chronically unlucky person, a born loser, when a shlimazl sel ls umbrella the sun comes out. SHMATTA: A rag, often used as a putdown for clothes of the unfashionably dressed. Can also mean to bri be and can refer to the "whole package", as in I'll accept the whole shm eer. SHNORRER: A begger, a moocher, a cheapskate, a chiseler. Often refers to an individual's unique way of pr esenting themselves, as in "She is doing her shtik." SHTUP: An expression for sexual intercourse, to "screw." TSIMMES: A side dish, a prolonged procedure, an involved and troubling bu siness, as in the phrase, "don't make a tsimmes out of it." TSUTCHEPPENISH: Something irratating that attaches itself like an obsessi on. She has a tsutcheppenish that is driving everyone crazy. TUCHES: Backside, ass, "tuches lecker" means ass kisser, one who shameles sly curries favor with superiors. ZHLUB: An insensitive, ill-mannered person, a clumsy individual. htm Gai feifen afenyam/Gai kakhen afenyam go whistle in the ocean/go shit in the ocean (Go jump in a lake.
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