A spoonful of meshuga helps the medicine go down
We lost mum one year ago today. When she died, I worried about losing the unique language that we shared with each other. A unique home-brew of Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian. Like “franglais”, these words and phrases were woven into our everyday conversations unconsciously. I’d seen mum use these terms with her dad, her Auntie Anne and Uncle Joe. Worried about losing these words forever, I made a note every time I remembered one. The Irene project. This note is a glossary of the everyday Yiddish and other terms that we used. The words are as I remember them. If I could find them online, I used that spelling. If I couldn’t, I made it up. For pronunciation, it’s “sch” as in shop, not school, and “ch” as in loch, not as in chop.
Al schwartz jahr
• The middle of nowhere
Allevi
• If only; I should be so lucky
Alte kakker (or an alte)
• An old person
Angeschpart
• Stubborn; single-minded
Balebosteh
• A woman who keeps a good house and keeps everyone under control
Bekuch dorten
• Look! Look over there!
Boychik
• A young man; toy-boy
Ch’ap
• To hit; to clout
Chochum
• See schloch
Dreml
• Dream
Drert
• Broke; out.
Fancochen
• Omelette.
Farfaln
• Out at sea. Lost.
Farkokte
• Bloody (as in, “shut the farkokte door!”)
Fehklempt
• Flustered, befuddled.
Fehkriemt
• Miserable; bad tempered
Frum/Frummer
• To be religious (he’s frum)
• A really religious person (She’s a frummer)
G’ferlich
• Not good; bad
Gatkes
• Underpants
Ganze macher
• A big shot
Gelt
• Money
Geh gesundheit
• Go to hell!
Geh kakken
• Get out of here!
Gribnes
• Literally the cooked marrow from chicken bones.
Gescheft
• Shop; job; work.
Goylem
• An idiot (q. rude)
Goy
• Non-Jew; gentile
Had’ashem
• I swear to God or I swear on my life.
Haimische
• Home-made; possibly corny.
Hazzer
• Pig
Hetze, hetze
• Literally to go fifty, fifty with someone or to split the check, split the bill.
Ich Mir a pleasure
• Give me a break
If my zeide was my bubbeh
• In English, we would say, “Bob’s your uncle”
• Zeide is grandfather, Bubbeh is grandmother
• If my grandfather was my grandmother…
Kieschkes
• Groin
Kinder
• Children
Kleine
• Child (literally small one)
Kunaleml
• Idiot
Kopfleffer:
• Shit-stirrer
Kvell
• To purr with pride
Le’at, le’at
• Slowly, slowly or softly, softly.
Ma zeh?
• What is it?
Mamela
• Mum
Maminka
• See Mamela
Ma’nishma?
• How are you?
Mensch
• A real somebody; the big man; a real player.
Mischigas
• Nonsense
Mittendrinnen
• In the midst of it all
Mitzfeh
• Blessing
Mychal
• A pleasure; a blessed relief
Nachas
• Pride, especially in others such as your parents or your children. “Go on, do it…it would give me nachas”.
Nebuch
• An unfortunate person
Nosherai
• A snack
Nudnik
• Idiot; clueless person
Ongeshtop
• Wealthy, well off.
Oy gevalt
Oygeputz
• Dressed up; dressed fancily.
Peckl
• Burden; problem
Pferd
• Horse
Putz
• Idiot; clumsy person
Schpilkes
• To laugh until you cry, to crease up.
• To be in Shpilkes
Schloft gesund
• Sleep well!
Schnozz
• Nose
Shekar
• Drunk, blotto.
Shikse
• Non-Jewish woman (rude)
Shlemiel
• Somebody awkward or dumb
Schlep
• Text
Schlimazel
• Somebody unkempt or untidy
Schlumper
• See Schlimazel
Schloch
• See Schlimazel
Schul
• Synagogue
Schtup
• To have sex with; to sleep with
Spiegeling
• Shining or gleaming (literally from German word, Spiegel, for mirror)
Schmaltz
• Something corny or overly-romantic
Schmekl
• Penis
Schmegegge
• Brain
Schlaft
• Sleep; nap
Schwarzig
• Tanned (literally from the German word for black, Schwartz)
Schry
• To shout; to argue
Schwy
• Be quiet!
Schwitzing
• Sweating; to be sweating
Shidduch
• An arranged romantic match or marriage
Spiel
• Game
Toda roba (often shortened to Toda)
• Thank you.
Tsecrochen
• Sick; to feel poorly.
Tsedreyt
• Not quite with it; sleepily confused
Tseitl
• Hair-piece or wig of a rabbi’s wife.
Tseychul
• Wisdom; intelligence
Tsimischt
• Confused.
Verklempt
• Befuddled
Verschtunken
• Smelly; smelling rotten
Viefel?
• How much? How much does it cost?
Yente
• A matchmaker
Yiddisher kopf
• A good head for business (literally a Yiddish head)
Zwanzig pfunt
• Twenty pounds.
