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Pastimes : SI Grammar and Spelling Lab -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wizzer who wrote (1208)	4/19/1998 4:41:00 PM
From: Chuzzlewit	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4710

Wissam, most of the words are considered slang, but here are just a few that are now part of the lexicon: nosh -- a snack; bagel -- you might want to nosh on this; kibbitz -- to give unwanted advice, as during a card game; maven -- an expert, a guru; magilla -- something long and wordy -- as in "don't recite the whole megilla"; nebbish -- a nobody, a nothing, a nerd; nudnick -- a pest, an annoying person; putz -- literally a penis but most often used figuratively as a fool or an ass. yente -- a busy body. Here are two of my very favorite words: Shlemiel (rhymes with "repeal") and shlemazel (rhymes with "nozzle"). A shlemiel is a person to whom bad thing happen -- frequently through no fault of his own. This an individual who has his own black cloud following him. Now a shlemazel is a person for whom nothing turns out right. While a shlemazel is a born loser, it is frequently the shlemiel who gets the brunt of it. So, if you are in a restaurant and you see the waiter spill hot soup in a patrons lap, the waiter may well be a shlemazel, while the patron is undoubtedly the shlemiel. The two seem to attract one another! There are literally hundreds of such words that have crept into the language, largely through show business -- vaudeville and radio. Leo Rostens book is available in paperback, and is filled with dozens of very funny stories illustrating the etymology and use of the words. TTFN, CTC

To: Wizzer who wrote (1208)	4/19/1998 5:16:00 PM
From: Jack Clarke	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4710

Wissam, what words are "borrowed" from Yiddish also. I can't think of any right now, What Yiddish words you hear depends on where you are. I worked with a number of Jewish surgeons and physicians, most of them from New York, while I was in the military. They used a lot more Yiddish expressions in their everyday speech that the Jewish kids I grew up with in Virginia. Yiddish is derived from German (80% of the words are recognizable to a German speaker). I had studied German and found it fascinating that I could understand many of the Yiddish expressions my friends used. Here are some I remember, to add to Chuzzlewit's list: Schmuck: In German, a jewel, but in Yiddish the foreskin. Used in a derogatory manner. "Don't be a shmuck". Schlep: Literally "drag", but used for an arduous task or trip. "I'm not gonna schlep all the way over there." Also a schlepper is another derogatory term for one who is poorly dressed or does menial tasks. Schmutz: Dirt or dust. Zaftig: Juicy. Used especially in regard to a female with a good figure. (German Apfelsaft= applejuice) Mensch: Lit. "a man" but carries broader connotation. "You have to be a Mensch and do what is required of you." Or a term of praise. "He was a mensch." Fressen: To eat a lot (as opposed to essen) As I recall, German uses essen for people and fressen for animals. These are just a few that jump to mind. Unfortunately, Yiddish seems to be a dying language, although there is a department of Yiddish at Yale and in some New York schools as well. The last full length film in Yiddish was in the 60's as I recall. I know where to rent it and have been meaning to (Home Box Office). I don't guarantee any of the above. Remember, this is coming from a "goy" (gentile).<G> Jack