Yiddish words may be used in a primarily English language context. An English sentence that uses these words sometimes is said to be in Yinglish, however the primary meaning of Yinglish

Yinglish

Yinglish words are neologisms created by speakers of Yiddish in English-speaking countries, sometimes to describe things that were uncommon in the old country...

 is an anglicism used in Yiddish.

This secondary sense of the term "Yinglish" describes the distinctive way certain Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 in English-speaking countries add many Yiddish words into their conversation, beyond general Yiddish words and phrases used by English speakers. In this meaning, Yinglish is not the same as Yeshivish, which is spoken by many Orthodox Jews, though the two share many parallels.

While "Yinglish" is generally restricted in definition to the adaptation of Yiddish lemmas to English grammar by Jews, its usage is not explicitly restricted to Jews. This is especially true in areas where Jews are highly concentrated, but in constant interaction with their Gentile

Gentile

The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....

 fellows, esp. in the larger urban areas of North America. In such circumstances, it would not be unusual to hear, for example, a Gentile griping about having "shlepped" a package across town.

Yinglish was formerly assigned the ISO 639-3

ISO 639-3

ISO 639-3:2007, Codes for the representation of names of languages — Part 3: Alpha-3 code for comprehensive coverage of languages, is an international standard for language codes in the ISO 639 series. The standard describes three‐letter codes for identifying languages. It extends the ISO 639-2...

 code yib, but it was retired on July 18, 2007, on the grounds that it is entirely intelligible with English.

Many of these words have not been assimilated into English and are unlikely to be understood by English speakers who do not have substantial Yiddish knowledge. Leo Rosten

Leo Rosten

Leo Calvin Rosten was born in Łódź, Russian Empire and died in New York City. He was a teacher and academic, but is best known as a humorist in the fields of scriptwriting, storywriting, journalism and Yiddish lexicography.-Early life:Rosten was born into a Yiddish-speaking family in what is now...

's book, The Joys of Yiddish

The Joys of Yiddish

The Joys of Yiddish is a book containing the lexicon of common words and phrases in the Yiddish language, primarily focusing on those words that had become known to speakers of American English due to the influence of American Ashkenazi Jews...

, explains these words (and many more) in detail. With the exceptions of blintz, kosher (used in English slang), and shmo, none of the other words in this list are labeled as Yinglish in Rosten's book.

See also List of English words of Yiddish origin.

A

• aidim – son-in-law, from middle-high-German eidam
• a shande (Yid., אַ‮ ‬שאַנדע) – a disgrace; one who brings embarrassment through mere association, cf. German eine Schande, translated "a disgrace", meaning "such a shame"
• a shande far di goyim (Yid., אַ‮ ‬שאַנדע‮ ‬פֿאַר‮ ‬די‮ ‬גוים) – "A disgrace before (in front of) the Gentiles," the scathing criticism of Judge Julius Hoffman
  Julius Hoffman
  Julius J. Hoffman was a Chicago, Illinois, attorney and judge and former law partner of Richard J. Daley who achieved notoriety for his role in the Chicago Seven trial.-Early life:...
  
   by Abbie Hoffman
  Abbie Hoffman
  Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman was a political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ....
  
   during the trial of the Chicago Eight, whereby goyim means nation, people or non-Jews.
• ay-ay-ay (Yid., אײַ־אײַ־אײַ) (sometimes spelled "ai-yi-yi" or spoken "Ei, yei, yei")
• abi gezunt! (Yid., אַבי‮ ‬געזונט) – from German Aber gesund, literally "but healthy," meaning "As long as you're healthy!"; often used as an ironic punchline to a joke
• abi me leibt (Yid., אַבי‮ ‬מע לעבט) - from German Aber man lebt, translated "At least I´m alive"
• aleichem shalom – "To you be peace" (the polite response to the greeting "Shalom aleichem
  Shalom aleichem
  Shalom aleikhem is a greeting version in Hebrew, literally meaning "peace be upon you". The appropriate response is "aleikhem shalom", or "upon you be peace"....
  
  ")
• alter kicker or alter kocker (Yid., אַלטער‮ ‬קאַקער) – a lecherous old man; an old fart (from German Alter "old" and kacker "crapper")

B

• balabusta
  Balabusta
  Balabusta is a Yiddish expression describing the good homemaker among Ashkenazi Jews. The word derives from the Hebrew word ba'alat-habayit, meaning mistress of the house....
  
   – a homemaker; usually applied with positive connotations
• bentch  – to bless, commonly referred to saying Grace
  Grace (prayer)
  Grace is a name for any of a number of short prayers said or an unvoiced intention held prior to or after eating, thanking God and/or the entities that have given of themselves to furnish nutrients to those partaking in the meal. Some traditions hold that grace and thanksgiving imparts a blessing...
  
   after meals (bentching)
• bissel (Yid., ביסל) – a small amount, "a pinch of" something (cf. Austrian/Bavarian bissl, a dialectal variant of the more standard German bisschen, "a little bit")
• blintz
  Blintz
  A blin, blintze, or blintz is a thin pancake. It is somewhat similar to a crêpe with the main difference being that yeast may be used in blini, but not in crêpes.-Etymology, origins, culture :...
  
  (Yid., בלינצע blintse) – a sweet cheese-filled crepe
• bris – the circumcision of a male child.
• boichika – Sweetheart.
• bubbeh, bubbe, – grandmother; pronounced like "book", not like the Southern U.S. nickname (cf. the Slavonic baba, "old woman" with different overtones in different languages)
• bubala
• bubbameisse – Old wives' tale, cock and bull story (often attributed by erroneous folk etymology to combination of bubbe, "grandmother," and meisse, "tale", but in fact derives from "Bove-meisse," from the "Bove Bukh," the "Book of Bove", the chivalric adventures of fictitious knight Sir Bevys ("Bove") of Hampton
  Bevis of Hampton
  Bevis of Hampton is a legendary English hero and the subject of Anglo-Norman, French, English, Venetian and other medieval metrical romances that bear his name...
  
  , first published in Yiddish in 1541 and continually republished until 1910.
• bubkes (also spelled "bupkis") – emphatically nothing, as in He isn't worth bubkes (literally "goat droppings", in Polish "bobki")

C

• capi
• chalish – literally, fainting, ("I was chalishing from hunger,") sometimes used as a term of desperate desire for something or someone ("After a thirty-six hour shift, I was chalishing to go home already.")
• chazarai (Yiddish, חזירײַ khazerai 'filth' or, perhaps more literally, 'piggery', from חזיר khazer 'pig' from Hebrew חַזִיר "chazeer", pig) – junk, garbage, junk food
• chesid  – good deed or favor. "Do me a chesid and clean your room."
• chiddush – a term used in the context of rhetoric and argumentation to mean a new forceful point brought into a discussion; innovation generally "I don't get it, what's the chiddush?"; the upshot or novel point made by an argument (from Hebrew Chadash, meaning 'new'); also used when you are making fun of someone for something entirely obvious. "Chiddush! Chiddush!"
• cholent
  Cholent
  Cholent or Hamin is a traditional Jewish stew. It is usually simmered overnight for 12 hours or more, and eaten for lunch on Shabbat . Cholent was developed over the centuries to conform with Jewish religious laws that prohibit cooking on the Sabbath...
  
   – a stew cooked over night
• chutzpah
  Chutzpah
  Chutzpah is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad, but it is generally used negatively. The Yiddish word derives from the Hebrew word , meaning "insolence", "audacity". The modern English usage of the word has taken on a broader meaning, having been popularized through vernacular use in...
  
   – (Yid. from Heb.חצפה khutspe, alt. sp. חוצפה) ballsiness, "balls", guts, daring, audacity, effrontery. Has both a positive & negative connotation.

D

• daven (as a verb): pray (referring to either of the three Jewish daily prayers).
• dreck (Yid., דרעק from German "Dreck", "shit" (AKA: "fecal matter"), "dirt" ) – Worthless or crappy material, can be used to refer to people or things, especially merchandise; (vulgar) "crap."
• dybbuk
  Dybbuk
  In Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is a malicious or malevolent possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.Dybbuks are said to have escaped from Sheol or to have been turned away for serious transgressions, such as suicide, for which the soul is denied entry...
  
   – (Yid. from Heb. דיבוק dibbuk, that which clings) the malevolent spirit of a dead person which enters and controls a living body until exorcised.

E

• echt/ehkt real, true
• emmes the truth
• eppes a little, not much, something. syn. a bissel.
• ess (Yid., עס; German imperative mood for "Eat!") – to eat, especially used in the imperative: Ess! Ess!

F

• farbissen (far-BISS-en) (Yid., פֿאַרביסן; cf. German verbissen) – adj. Bitter; sullen; crippled by bitterness. Also farbissener.
• farblondzhet (fer-BLUNJ-it) (Yid., פֿאַרבלאָנדזשעט; far- cf. German ver- and Polish błądzić = "to stray around") – lost, bewildered, confused, mixed-up (appropriately, there are several variant spellings)
• fardrayt (Yid., פֿאַרדרײט; dray meaning turn, cf. dreidel
  Dreidel
  A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, played with during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.Each side of the dreidel bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet:נ ,ג ,ה ,ש ,...
  
  ; also cf. German verdreht = "twisted" ) – confused, mixed-up, distracted
• farfrumt – negative term for someone very religious or pious. "She came back from seminary and became all farfrumt."
• farklempt – choked up; speechless; unable to express one's feelings/emotions
• fachnyok – negative term meaning very religious, often used to connote someone holier-than-thou. Can be shortened to "chenyok," or used as a noun ("don't be such a chenyok") or an adjective ("you're so chnyokish").
• farkakte (Yid., פֿאַרקאַקטע) – an adjective, meaning 'screwed up' or 'a bad idea'; literally, 'crapped' or 'becrapped', cf. German "verkackte(r)"
• fershtupt - (pejorative) pregnant, recently had sex, constipated. (stuffed)
• feh - expression of disgust.
• feygele or faygeleh – (pejorative) homosexual (literally 'little bird', cf. German "Vögele", also possible cf. German word "Feigling", meaning 'coward'), could be used for anyone slightly effeminate, "Ugh, that, Moishele washes his hands, what a faygel." Often used as a disparaging term for a homosexual male. Note: A Fayge is a bird, and is the basis of the female name Fayga. Such a person, as an infant, might be called Faygeleh (diminutive), until later on being called Faygie.
• fress – to eat, especially with enthusiasm (German fressen = "to eat like an animal, in an untidy way")
• frimmer – (British English
  British English
  British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
  
   slang
  Slang
  Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
  
  ): a Hasidic Jew (from Yiddish "frum", religious; also cf. German "Frommer" = pious person)
• frum - adjective; religious, specifically in the area of Judaism.

G

• gantze – all, the whole of ("the gantze mishpoche" = the whole family, etc., cf. German ganz = "whole, all")
• geh gezindt – command; go, be healthy from German Geh gesund. Used as a goodbye (The typical reply is "Gai gezindt.") Usually neutral, but can be used sarcastically to mean "good riddance."
• geh avek – go away. Also pronounced "guy avek", depending on where in Europe you are from. A Litvak pronounces it "guy".
• geh shlufen – go to sleep from German Geh schlafen (Shmiel! It's 11:30! Geh shlufen.")
• geh vays – literally "go know," as in "go figure." ("Last week she said she hated his guts and now she's engaged to him. Geh vays.")
• gelt – money (German Geld with the same meaning), also chocolate coins eaten on Hanukkah
  Hanukkah
  Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
  
   (געלט gelt 'money')
• genug (גענוג) – enough (German genug)
• gezunterheyt
  Gesundheit
  Gesundheit may refer to:* A response to sneezing in German which is sometimes used in the United States * Gesundheit! Institute, American health project*Focus Gesundheit, German tv channel...
  
  (געזונטערהייט) – interjection said after a sneeze, equivalent to "bless you". Literally means "health" from German: Gesundheit.
• glick – a piece of good luck (German Glück)
• glitch
  Glitch
  A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system. It is often used to describe a transient fault that corrects itself, and is therefore difficult to troubleshoot...
  
   – a minor malfunction (possibly from Yiddish glitsh)
• goilem or golem
  Golem
  In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
  
   – a man-made humanoid; an android, Frankenstein monster, or an insult, suggesting that a person has no mental capacity
• gonef or gonif (also ganiv) – thief (גנבֿ ganef. This can be used as a somewhat generic insult, implying a "lowlife" ) – the word has also been adopted from Yiddish into German as Ganove, also a thief (often figurative)
• gornisht – nothing, not a bit, for naught (German gar nichts = nothing at all)
• goy
  Goy
  is a Hebrew biblical term for "nation". By Roman times it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish.-In Biblical Hebrew:...
  
   – Someone not of the Jewish faith or people; a gentile
  Gentile
  The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
  
   (גוי, plural גוים Goyim, Hebrew 'nation(s)', often referring to nations other than Israel, although the Tanach calls Israel the "goy koddesh", "the Holy Nation", so Israel is also a 'goy' ["nation" in the sense of "a people", not "a state"] ) "What's John Smith doing in temple, he's a goy!" Both meanings usually have negative connotations.
• goyisher kop – fool, foolishness (lit. "Gentile head")
• goyisher mazel – good luck (lit. "Gentile luck")

H

• hegdesch – pigpen, often used to describe a mess (as in "your room is a hegdesch")
• hock – Bother, pester (as in the character Maj Hockstetter from Hogan's Heroes; a hockstetter being someone who constantly bothers you) [from Hak mir kayn chaynik or "Stop clanking like a teakettle" from the old time pre-whistle teakettles whose tops clank against the rim as the pressure pushed them up and down.
• hocker - botherer, pesterer
• heymish (also Haimish) – home-like, friendly, folksy (German heimisch)

I

• ibaboodle
• ich vais – I know. (German Ich weiss)
• ipish – a bad odor

K

• kadoches – a fever; frequently occurs in oaths of ill-will (e.g., "I'll give him a kadoches is what I'll give him!)
• keppe – head (e.g. I needed that like a loch in keppe, hole in my head; German "Kopf", coll. "Kopp" – "head"; German "Loch" – "hole")
• keyn ayn horeh – (also pronounced: kin ahurrah) – lit., "No evil eye
  Evil eye
  The evil eye is a look that is believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike...
  
  !"; German kein - none; Hebrew ayn - eye, harrah - bad, unclean, forbidden; an apotropaic formula
  Apotropaic magic
  Apotropaic magic is a type of magic intended to "turn away" harm or evil influences."Apotropaic" observances may also be practiced out of vague superstition or out of tradition, as in good luck charm , or gestures like fingers crossed or knocking on wood.Apotropaic is an adjective that means...
  
   spoken to avert the curse of jealousy after something or someone has been praised; the phrase has mutated into "Don't give me a canary!" in the Bronx
  The Bronx
  The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
  
  
• kibitz – to offer unwanted advice, e.g. to someone playing cards; to converse idly, gossip; to josh or rib a person (Yiddish קיבעצען kibetsn), German thieves' jargon kiebitschen "to examine, search, look through", influenced by German Kiebitz (any of several birds called peewits [imitative]).
• kife or kyfe – enjoyment
• Kitsch
  Kitsch
  Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
  
  : trash, especially gaudy trash (German "Kitsch")
• klop – a loud bang or wallop (German klopfen = "to knock")
• klumnik – empty person, a good-for-nothing (From Hebrew "klum," nothing.)
• klutz
  Klutz
  Klutz may refer to:*Most commonly, a clumsy person*Klutz Press is an imprint of Scholastic Press*Klütz is a surname and a town in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany...
  
   – clumsy person (from Yiddish קלאָץ klots 'wooden beam') "Shloimy, you wear your hat like a klutz."
• kosher – conforming to Jewish dietary laws; (slang) appropriate, legitimate (originally from Hebrew כּשר) see Yashrusdik.
• krankhayt – a sickness (German Krankheit)
• kugel
  Kugel
  Kugel is a baked Ashkenazi Jewish pudding or casserole, similar to a pie, most commonly made from egg noodles or potatoes, though at times made of zucchini, apples, spinach, broccoli, cranberry, or sweet potato...
  
   – a casserole or pudding, usually made from egg noodles (lochshen) or potatoes
• kulver
• kvell (קװעל) – beam / be proud "Shlomo, when you said the prayer so well, I knew I would kvell."
• kvatch, kvetch – to complain habitually, gripe; or, a person who always complains, sometimes known as whinge (from Yiddish קװעטשן kvetshn and German quetschen 'press, squeeze')

L

• latke – potato pancake, especially during Hanukkah
  Hanukkah
  Hanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
  
   (from Yiddish, from either Ukrainian or Russian)
• l'chaim – an expression of joy, the traditional toast "to life!"
• l'ch'oira – seemingly.
• Litvak
  Litvak
  Litvak may refer to:* Lithuanian Jews* Lithuanian Yiddish dialectPeople:* Anatole Litvak* Lydia Litvak...
  
   – a Lithuanian Jew
• lox – smoked salmon (from Yiddish לאַקס laks and German Lachs 'salmon') eaten with bagels.

M

• macher (מאַכער) – lit. "doer, someone who does things", big shot, important person (e.g. within an organization) (German Macher = maker) "Now that Golde is the president, she acts like such a big macher."
• madel- Girl, Female woman from Austrian Madel. "Thats a pretty Madel."
• mameh-loshen – one's first or native language, literally from Hebrew, 'mother-tongue'.
• mamish – really, very (an expression of emphasis)From the Hebrew "mamash" = substantially, "mamashut" = substance.
• mamzer – bastard, literally or figuratively (from Hebrew ממזר, meaning the child of a married woman where the biological father is not the married woman's husband (slightly more restrictive than the English word illegitimate)
• maven
  Maven
  A maven is a trusted expert in a particular field, who seeks to pass knowledge on to others. The word maven comes from Hebrew, via Yiddish, and means one who understands, based on an accumulation of knowledge.-History:...
  
   – expert (from Yiddish מבֿין meyvn, from Hebrew mevin 'one who understands')
• mazel
  Mazel
  Mazel may refer to:* Mazel Group Engineering, a Barcelona based design studio specialising in concept cars and enginineering solutionsPeople* Eugène Mazel , a French amateur botanist* Ilya Mazel , a Soviet painter...
  
  (מזל mazl) – luck (literally, constellation of stars)
• mazel tov! (מזל־טובֿ!‏ mazl tof) – congratulations! (literally, 'good constellation' from Hebrew, meaning, May you be born under a good star, or at a good time. When you tell someone Mazel Tov, it is customary to shake hands.) Literally, good luck.
• mechaye - a source of pleasure (from the Hebrew חיים "chayim", meaning "life")
• mechuteynesteh / Mechutan – kinship term for your child's female or male parent-in-law (Yid., from Hebrew מחותן/מחותנת).
• megillah
  Megillah
  Megillah may refer to:Bible:*The Scroll of Esther , read on the Jewish holiday of Purim.*Megillat AntiochusRabbinic literature:*Tractate Megillah in the Talmud....
  
   – a lengthy document or discourse (from Yiddish מגילה megile, from Hebrew 'scroll'). Production: What are you making, a megillah?
• mensch
  Mensch
  Mensch means "a person of integrity and honor". The opposite of a "mensch" is an "unmensch" . According to Leo Rosten, the Yiddish maven and author of The Joys of Yiddish, "mensch" is "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character...
  
   – an upright man or woman; a gentleman; a decent human being (from Yiddish מענטש mentsh 'person' and German Mensch: human being) the generic term for a virtuous man or person; one with honesty, integrity, loyalty, firmness of purpose – a fundamental sense of decency and respect for other people (from German Mensch, meaning human being)
• mescite
• meshuga / meshugge / meshugah / meshuggah (משוגען meşugn) : crazy (from Yiddish meshuge)
• meshuggener – a crazy person (from Yiddish meshugener)meshugaas – nonsense (lit. "crazy talk")
• minyan
  Minyan
  A minyan in Judaism refers to the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. According to many non-Orthodox streams of Judaism adult females count in the minyan....
  
   – the quorum of ten adult (i.e., 13 or older) Jews (among the Orthodox, males) who are necessary for the holding of a public worship service
• mishegoss – insane situation, irrationality (from Yiddish meshugas, from meshuge 'crazy')
• mishpocha – family (from Hebrew משפּחה mishpokha)
• mitzve – good deed
• mohel
  Mohel
  A mohel is a Jewish person trained in the practice of brit milah "covenant of circumcision."-Etymology of the Hebrew and Aramaic term:...
  
   – a professional religious circumciser (from Hebrew מוהל)

N

• naches / nachas (נחת) – pride (usage: I have naches from you) (from Hebrew נחת pronounced 'Nachat')
• narishkeit – foolishness (German "närrisch" – foolish)
• nasherai – snack food (German naschen – to snack, cf. German "Nascherei")
• nebbish – a hapless, unfortunate person, much to be pitied; the one who cleans up after the schlemiel's accidents (from Yiddish nebekh)
• nosh – snack (from Yiddish נאַשן nashn)Also a verb "Nu, stop noshing on that nosh."
• nu – multipurpose interjection often analogous to "well?" or "so?"; of the same linguistic origin as English now (Russian "ну")
• nudnik (נודניק) – pest, "pain in the neck", originally from Polish ("nuda" in Polish means "boredom"; nudziarz is the Polish word for the Yiddish nudnik)

O

• oy
  Oy vey
  Oy vey , or just oy, is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation meaning "oh pain." According to Douglas Harper, the phrase is derived from Yiddish and is of Germanic origin...
  
   – (exclamation) Oh!; Oy Gutt - Oh (my) God!
• oy gevalt (אױ גװאַלד) – Oh no! (from Yiddish gvald 'emergency'). Cognate with German Gewalt "force, violence".
• oy vey
  Oy vey
  Oy vey , or just oy, is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation meaning "oh pain." According to Douglas Harper, the phrase is derived from Yiddish and is of Germanic origin...
  
  (אױ װײ) : (exclamation) Oh, woe! (Oh no! – literally, 'Oh, pain!', cf. German "Oh Weh!").
• oy vey iz mir
  Oy vey
  Oy vey , or just oy, is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation meaning "oh pain." According to Douglas Harper, the phrase is derived from Yiddish and is of Germanic origin...
  
   – (exclamation) from אױ װײ איז מיר 'Oh, woe is me!', 'Oh, my suffering
• oytzer – sweetheart, dear (from Hebrew Otzar, treasure)

P

• pisher – a male infant; a little squirt; a nobody , (cf. South German "Pisch´n" = to piss)
• potch – a light spanking or disciplinary slap, done usually by a parent to a child, and often taking place on the top of the hand or the buttocks (cf. South German word "patschen" meaning slap).
• plotz – to burst, as from strong emotion: "I was so angry, I thought I'd plotz!" (from Yiddish פּלאַצן platsn 'to crack', cf. German platzen)
• punkt farkert – just the opposite, total disagreement. Germa: Punkt verkehrt; wrong!
• punim – the face (Yiddish ponem, from Hebrew)
• pupik – the navel; belly button (Polish pępek= the navel)
• putz – unclean penis; stupid 'dirty' person, a jerk (from Yiddish פּאָץ pots)

R

• rachmones – mercy, pity
• redd – 'to redd a shidduch' - to recommend a person for marriage.
• rutzer – very young and inexperienced

S

• schicker or schickered: drunk, intoxicated (from the Hebrew shikur – drunk, cf. German [coll.] angeschickert 'soused, tipsy')
• schlemiel – an inept clumsy person; a bungler; a dolt (from Yiddish shlemil or shlimil from the Hebrew "Sh'aino Mo'eil" literally ineffective)
• schlep – to drag or haul (an object); to make a tedious journey (from Yiddish שלעפּן shlepn and German schleppen)
• schlepper bum
• schlimazel / schlamazel : a chronically unlucky person (שלימזל shlimazl, from shlim 'bad' and mazl 'luck'; The difference between a shlemiel and a shlimazl is described through the aphorism, "A shlemiel is somebody who often spills his soup; a shlimazl is the person the soup lands on." One of the ten non-English
  English language
  English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
  
   words that were voted Words hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
   translation company. Lyric following "schlemiel" in Laverne and Shirley theme (from Yiddish shlimazl cf. German Schlamassel)
• schlock – A poorly made product or poorly done work, usually quickly thrown together for the appearance of having been done properly; "this writing is schlock." Something shoddy or inferior. (perhaps from Yiddish shlak 'a stroke')
• schlong – from Yiddish שלאַנג shlang and German Schlange meaning a snake
  Snake
  Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
  
  ; description of a tricky or deceitful or hateful despicable person. Vulgar: "penis
  Penis
  The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
  
  "
• schlub – a clumsy, stupid, or unattractive person.
• schmaltz
  Schmaltz
  Schmaltz or schmalz is rendered chicken, goose, or pork fat used for frying or as a spread on bread, especially in German and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Also is very common in Ukrainian cuisine Schmaltz or schmalz is rendered chicken, goose, or pork fat used for frying or as a spread on bread,...
  
   – excessive sentimentality; chicken fat
  Chicken fat
  Chicken fat is fat obtained from chicken rendering and processing. Of animal-sourced substances, chicken fat is noted for being high in linoleic acid, a beneficial omega-6 fatty acid. Linoleic acid levels are between 17.9% and 22.8%. It is often used in pet foods, and has also been used in the...
  
   or drippings used as a shmeer on bread (from Yiddish שמאַלץ shmalts and German Schmalz)
• schmeer – as a verb, to spread, e.g. the cream cheese on your bagel; also, as a noun, that which you spread on something, e.g. "I'll have a piece of challah with schmeer." (from שמיר) (cf. German schmieren)
• schmo – a stupid person. (an alteration of schmuck; see below)
• schmooze – to converse informally, to small talk or chat. Can also be a form of brown-noseing (from Yiddishשמועסן shmuesn – cf. German schmusen).The word is commonly used in the business world to refer to informal networking activities.
• schmuck
  Schmuck (pejorative)
  __notoc__Schmuck or shmuck in American English is a pejorative meaning an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person, or one who is stupid or foolish. The word entered English from Yiddish, where it has similar pejorative meanings, but its original meaning in Yiddish is penis...
  
   – a contemptible or foolish person; a jerk; literally means 'penis' (from Yiddish שמאָק shmok 'penis')
• schmutz – dirt, often pertaining to petty household dirt(on the table, floor, clothes etc.) Also used metaphorically to the English equivalent; smut, sleaze (from German Schmutz)
• schnaps – whiskey or liquor
• schnook – an easily imposed-upon or cheated person, a pitifully meek person. a particularly gullible person. (from Yiddish שנוק)
• schnor / Tsnorr – to beg.
• schnorrer (שנאָרער) – beggar or person always asking others for hand-outs or services (cf. German Schnorrer, schnorren)
• schnoz / schnozzle / shnozzle : a nose, especially a large nose. cf. English nozzle. (also spelled from Yiddish שנויץ shnoits 'snout', cf. German Schnauze 'snout')
• schrai – a shriek or wail, sometimes used to connote over-exaggerated hysterics. ("When I told her I'd be ten minutes late, she let out such a shrai!") (cf. German Schrei)
• schtick'l – a little piece of something, usually food. Dim. of stick, from German Stückchen. In "delis," salami ends were sold from a plate on the counter labeled "A nickel a schtickel."
• schtupp / schtuff : (vulgar) to have sex with, screw (from Yiddish שטופּן shtupn 'push, poke'; similar to 'stuff'); to fill, as in to fill someones pocket with money ("Schtupp him $50.) Frequently used in the former context by Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
  Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
  Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog is a character puppet best known for mocking celebrities. Triumph was identified in the early appearances as a Yugoslavian Mountain Hound, hence his distinct Eastern European accent . As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy...
  
  .
• schverr – father-in-law (German Schwäher)
• schvigger – mother-in-law (German Schwieger)
• schvitz – Sweat (German schwitz)
• Shabbes
  Shabbat
  Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
  
   goy
  Goy
  is a Hebrew biblical term for "nation". By Roman times it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish.-In Biblical Hebrew:...
  
   – a Gentile who performs labour forbidden on the Jewish Sabbath
  Shabbat
  Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
  
   for observant Jews; sometimes used (by implication) for someone who "does the dirty work" for another person (from Yiddish Shabbes, Sabbath + goy, a non-Jew)
• shammes – the beadle or sexton of a synagogue (from Yiddish shames, an attendant) (originally from Hebrew שמש shamash 'servant')
• shep naches – take pride. Sometimes shortened to "shep." ("Your son got into medical school? You must be shepping.")
• sheygetz or shegetz
  Shegetz
  Shegetz is a Yiddish word that has entered English to refer to a non-Jewish boy or young man...
  
  (שגץ، שײגעץ) – (semi-pejorative) Gentile male - male form of Shiksa. (from Hebrew שקץ, vermin)
• sheyne meydel – a beautiful girl (cf. German schönes Mädel)
• Shiksa
  Shiksa
  Shiksa or shikse, is a Yiddish and Polish word that has moved into English usage, mostly in North American Jewish culture, as a term for a non-Jewish woman, initially and sometimes still pejorative but now often used satirically...
  
  (שיקסע) – (can be pejorative) a Gentile woman (from Hebrew שקץ, vermin)
• shmatte – an old rag. Used literally: I spilled the coffee, bring me a shmatte, quick! Used figuratively (usu. derisively): That fancy dress she spent half her husband's money on just looked like a shmatte to me. (Cf. Polish szmata "rag, piece of cloth", shmata "old rag") Used ironically: "I'm in the schmatte business," meaning "I manufacture or sell clothing."
• shmegege – a stupid person, a truly unlucky one; has been said to be the one who cleans up the soup the shlemiel spilled on the shlimazl.
• shmendrik
  Shmendrik
  Shmendrik, oder Die komishe Chaseneh is an 1877 comedy by Abraham Goldfaden, one of the earliest and most enduring pieces in Yiddish theater. The title role of Shmendrik was originally written for the young Sigmund Mogulesko, and derived from a character Mogulesko did when auditioning for...
  
   – ineffectual person.
• shpiel : an act; a lengthy, often instructive talk (from Yiddish שפּיל shpil shpil and German Spiel 'play', 'game')
• shpilkes – nervous energy; to be feeling "antsy", to be "sitting on pins and needles." Cf. Polish szpilka, "pin"
• shtark, shtarker – strong, brave (German stark), a criminal
• shtick – comic theme; a defining habit or distinguishing feature (from Yiddish שטיק 'a piece of something' – cf. German Stück, "piece").
• shtotty – fancy or elegant; may sometimes be pejorative ("She thinks she's so shtotty with that new dress of hers.")
• shtuch – to put someone down, often facetiously ("I shtuched him out." Can be used as a noun to refer to a clever put-down or rejoinder ("When I told my father that my stupidity must be hereditary, it was such a good shtuch!").
• shtick dreck – literally "a piece of dirt" (see Dreck), but usually applied to a person who is hated because of the antisocial things he has done: "He's a real shtuck dreck." Possibly shtick dreck: a piece of crap. Cf. German Stück Dreck.
• shtum – quiet (שטום shtum 'mute') (German stumm)
• shvartzer – (שװאַרצער) – Black person (possibly derogatory) (from שװאַרץ shvarts 'black', German schwarz)
• shvitz – A steam bath (German Schwitzen = to sweat). Also used for sweat or some kind of dirt/filth.

T

• takeh – really, totally. "This is takeh a problem!" As opposed to eppes and emmes. Emmes used as "the truth." He got into med school? Emmes? Eppes is the negative sense. He has cancer? This is the eppes?
• tchotchke
  Tchotchke
  Tchotchke are small toys, gewgaws, knickknacks, baubles, lagniappes, trinkets, or kitsch. The term has a connotation of worthlessness or disposability, as well as tackiness, and has long been used by Jewish-Americans and in the regional speech of New York City.The word may also refer to swag, in...
  
   – knick-knack, trinket, miscellaneous curios of no obvious practical use (from Yiddish טשאַטשקע tshatshke and possibly from a Ukrainian word for toy) May be used to refer to pretty women.
• tchepen – to bother someone incessantly ("Stop tcheppening me!") or to playfully banter with someone ("We spent the entire date tcheppening each other about what bad taste the other one had.")
• tornig – a disobedient nephew
• traif (or trayf) – forbidden, non-Kosher foods; anything forbidden (from Exodus 22:30, technically referring to an animal with any of a specific group of physical defects making it inedible)
• tsimmis, tsimmes – a fuss, a disturbance. "So you lost a dime. Don't make a big tsimmis!" Also, a kind of prune or carrot stew.
• tsim gezunt – to [your]health! Used as a response to a sneeze; German "gesund" – "healthy")
• tuchas or tochis – buttocks
  Buttocks
  The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
  
   (from Yiddish תּחת tokhes)
• tummle – excitement.
• tummeler – raucous comedian
  Comedian
  A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
  
  , e.g. Jerry Lewis
  Jerry Lewis
  Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
  
  , Robin Williams
  Robin Williams
  Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
  
  , from vaudeville
  Vaudeville
  Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
  
   and the Catskills Borscht Belt
  Borscht Belt
  Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
  
   origin from the English tumult.
• tsaddik – Pious, righteous person; one of the 36 legendary saints for whose sake God does not destroy the world
• tsuris – troubles (from Yiddish צרות tsores)
• tushie – or just tush - polite way of saying tuchus or backside.

V

• verklempt – choked with emotion (German verklemmt = emotionally inhibited in a convulsive way); stuck
• verschimmelt – shook up, rattled, in a state of nerves. "She wasn't hurt in the accident, but she was pretty verschimmelt".
• vilde chaya – impolite or undisciplined child, literally, wild beast

Y

• Yekke
  Yekke
  The term Yekke is a generally jovial, mildly derogatory term primarily used by Jews to refer to their coreligionists from Germany or who adhere to the Western-European minhag....
  
   – A German Jew
• yenta
  Yenta
  Yenta or Yente is a Yiddish female name which is used generically for an old gossip.In the age of Yiddish theater, it started referring to a busybody or gossipmonger. The word has since become Yinglish . In the 1920s Yenta was first popularized by a famous humorist, Jacob Adler, writing under his...
  
  or yente – a talkative woman; a gossip; a blabbermouth; a scold. A matchmaker - from "Fiddler on the Roof"; as yentl
  Yentl (film)
  Yentl is a 1983 romantic musical drama film from United Artists, and directed, co-written, co-produced, and starring Barbra Streisand based on the play of the same name by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer, itself based on Singer's short story, "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy".The dramatic story...
  
  made famous by the Barbra Streisand film
• yichus – pedigree, family background, an advantage
• Yiddishe Mama – a stereotypical Jewish mother
  Jewish mother stereotype
  The Jewish mother or wife stereotype is a common stereotype and stock character used by Jewish comedians and authors whenever they discuss actual or fictional situations involving their mothers or other females in their lives who possess mother-like qualities...
  
  
• Yiddisher kop – intelligence (lit. "Jewish head"; German "Jüdischer Kopf" – Jewish head)
• yiddisher mazel – bad luck (lit. "Jewish luck")
• yok – a non-Jew (derogatory) - see Goy
  Goy
  is a Hebrew biblical term for "nation". By Roman times it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish.-In Biblical Hebrew:...
  
  
• Yontiff – a Jewish holiday on which work is forbidden, e.g. Rosh Hashanah
  Rosh Hashanah
  Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
  
  , Yom Kippur
  Yom Kippur
  Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
  
  , Pesach (from the Hebrew "Yom Tov", Good Day, or Holiday)
• yungotch – a rascal

Z

• zach – thing or item. When used with "gantze," can refer to an event or story, i.e. "The ganztze zach only took two hours." The "whole thing" only took two hours(German 'Sache: Thing, issue'; German ganze: whole)
• zaydeh (or zayde) – grandfather (possibly a Slavonic word, cf. Polish dziadek, meaning "grandfather")
• zaftig or zoftig – plump, chubby, full-figured (German saftig, meaning juicy), especially with a child or an attractive woman

External links

• Yinglish in Ethnologue
• Jewish Language Research Website: Yiddish
• On-line Yiddish dictionary
• National Yiddish Book Center
• Shtetl
• A nice list of choice Yiddish/Ameridish words.
• The Jewish Book Center of The Workmen's Circle
• The Spoken Yiddish Language Project (Columbia University)
• The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring