| Babushka |
a kerchief the kind old ladies wear. Maybe a young lady would wear one too but not that I've ever seen. |
| Bubeleh | literally, "little bubi, or grandmother", but is used as an endearment for anyone, any age, any gender. In some places, like Hollywood I hear, if someone calls you bubeleh you can bet you're not about to get the part. |
| Bupkis | literally it means "beans" but we use it to mean "something worthless." Like, "What will I get for all my hard work on this web site? Bupkis!" |
| Chazerai | junk. |
| Eppis | something. |
| Fahrshtinkineh | this is what it sounds like! |
| Fahrdreit | confused. Yiddish has an abundance of words to indicate confusion in all its subtleties. Words like this are like the word for "snow" for eskimos. They have so many of them because it's mostly what their
landscape is made up of. What does this tell you about the world the Jews have always lived in? |
| Fendel | small pot |
| Fetumeled | mixed up. Don't even ask what's the difference between this is and the others. |
| Goniff | thief |
|
| Gotkes | underwear. |
| Kvetch | to complain, nag. |
| Loch in kop | hole in the head. |
| Mameleh | literally "little mother." Said as an endearment to a girl child. |
| Maven | expert. |
| Mensch | a good person |
| Meshugas | craziness (also, Meshugehcrazy) |
| Nu So, nu? | An expression that challenges translation. Check Mr. Rosten for this one. |
| Pitzeleh | a little one, a small child. |
| Saichel | good sense |
| Shlep | to drag |
| Shmatte | a rag |
| Shmendrick | a jerk |
| Shmuck | oh come on, everyone knows what this means. |
| Shmuck with earmuffs | as above, only accessorized |
| Shalom | Peace |
| Tateleh | literally, "little father," as above. |
| Tsoris | troubles |
|
