![]() 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. Tuches (tuchis) - Butt, behind, sometimes shortened to tush or tushy.The word bupkis means nothing. Tchotchke (tchatchke)- Knick-knack, little toy, collectible or giftware. ![]() ![]() Tachlis -Nuts and bolts, practical, concrete matters. Shande (shanda, shonda) - A scandal, embarrassment. Schmuck (shmuck)-A jerk, or a self-made fool, but this word literally means penis. Schmooze (shmooze)- Chat, make small talk, converse about nothing in particular. Schlep - To carry or travel with difficulty, as in “We shlepped here all the way from New Jersey.” Putz -A jerk, or a self-made fool, but this word literally means penis. Read: The history of the expression “Oy vey.” Oy vey-An expression of woe, as in “Oy vey, we left the gefilte fish at the grocery store!” Nosh- To eat or nibble, as in “I’d like something to nosh on before dinner.” Can also be used as a noun to mean any kind of food. Mishpocheh (mishpokhe, mishpucha)- Family, or someone who is “like family” Meshuggeneh - Crazy, ridiculous, insane, as in, “He must be meshuggeneh to think he can wear that getup to a funeral.” (A related word is mishegoss, or craziness.) Mensch (mentsch)- Literally “man,” an honorable, decent, stand-up person, as in, “I don’t care who you marry, as long as he’s a mensch.” Kvetch - To complain, whine or fret, as in “He likes to kvetch at me when we serve kasha varniskes, because he doesn’t like it.”
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