Common Yiddish Terms in American English


Term Definition Sample Use
bob(kes)
 beans, nothing He gave me babkes.
farklempt
 bummed out, bad mood She looks very ferklempt.
farbisine
 bitter Don't be so forbissima.
farblondzhet
 all mixed up I got all furblungit.
ganif
 thief Don't be such a gannif.
gelt
 money I got a lot of gelt for Hanukah.
genuk
 enough I've had genoog out of you today!
glik
 happiness Glick in the office makes for glick in the home.
golem
 clumsy and sluggish The guy I work with is a real golem.
goyim
 non-Jewish people The place was full of goyim.
goyish(e)
 mind of a goyim He's got a real goyishke kup.
handl
 bargain (verb) If you handel long enough, you'll get a good price.
kakameyme
 crazy He's got cockamayme ideas.
khalishes
 ugly That tablecloth is chalcious.
khazer
 a pig He eats like a chaza.
khazeray
 junk The dollar store is full of chazarai.
khokhme
 bright idea That's a real good chochmeh.
kholem
 dream That's a cholem of a house!
khutspe
 nerve, unmitigated gall She has a lot of chutzpah to talk like that!
kibitz
 to meddle She likes to kibbitz with everyone at the office
kunts
 an accomplishment It was a real koontz to finally reach you on the phone.
kreftik
 hearty That is some kreftig soup!
kvell
 to glow with pride Oy, I could kvell watching those kids in the play
kvetsh
 complainer Don't be such a kvetch.
luftmentsh
 dreamer He's a real luftmensch when it comes to hard work!
mamzer
 born out of wedlock He's a mumza.
mazl-tov
 congratulations Mazel tov on the new baby.
megile
 a long story I had to sit and listen to the whole megillah
mekhaye
 particularly delicious That dinner was a mechaya
mentsh
 a nice gentleman He was such a mensch.
meshugine
 crazy person He acts like a real meshuginah.
metsiye
 bargain (noun) That store has a great metziah onshoes.
meyvin
 connoisseur She's quite the mavin when it comes to wine.
mezumen
 cash I have to borrow some mezuma from the bank.
mishigas
 craziness What kind of mishigas is that?
mishmash
 hodge-podge There's a whole mishmash of words here.
mishpokhe
 family Bring the whole mishpacha.
miskayt
 ugly The daughter is a real meeskite.
mitsve
 a good deed That was a real mitzvah you did.
nakhes
 joy I get such nachas from putting these words down.
nebekh
 little nerd He is such a nebbish.
nosh
 snack We'll have a little nosh and then we'll talk
nosher
 nibbler I'm a nosher all morning long.
nudnik
 pest Stop being a nudnick and leave me alone!
ongepatsht
 a little too much That outfit is a little ongapatchka
pisk
 big mouth Let's hope he doesn't open up that pisk.
plats
 burst You'll laugh until you plotz.
pupik
 belly button You could see her pupick.
shlep
 to drag I had to schlep it across town.
shmendrek
 jerk He's a real schmendrick.
sheygets
 non-Jewish male She married a shagitz.
shiker
 drunkard That shicker has had too much to drink.
shikse
 non-Jewish female He's going out with a shikse.
shlekht
 bad That restaurant is generally schlecht
shlemazl
 unlucky person The poor schlemazel had his car stolen.
shlemil
 dope, fool He's a real schlemiel - always screwing up!
shmates
 rags Your cloths look like shmatas.
shmendrik
 fool The kid is a real schmendrick
shmuz
 dirt It's covered with schmootz.
shnorer
 beggar That guy is a real schnorrer.
shpilkes
 nervous energy I had shpilkes before the interview.
shtik
 routine So, that's his shtick.
shver
 father in law My shver is a nice enough guy
shviger
 mother in law The schvigger is coming.
tokhes
 tush I'll pinch your tuchis.
treyf
 non-kosher That food is trafe.
tsures
 troubles That car gives me nothing but tzorress!
tumul
 noise, confusion There's a lot of tuml coming from the kid's rooms
utzing
 needling, bothering Stop utzing me.
zay gezundt
 bless you Gesundheit! (when you sneeze)

Revised from a draft (no longer online) at Bergen (N.J.) Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technologies

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Last Updated 25 April 2010