abi | as long as |
aha | expletive signifying a myriad of meanings |
aleichem | to you (shalom aleichem & aleichem shalom) |
aliyah | to emigrate to Israel; to be called up to the Torah |
alter kocker | an old codger |
Ashkenazi | Eastern European Jew |
ay ay ay | an interjection - wonderful or painful |
bagel | hard glazed donut shaped roll |
balebos | a boss man: head of household |
balebusta | female boss; unbelievably capable homemaker |
bar (Heb.) | son of |
bar mitzvah | a 13 yr old boy's coming of age ceremony |
bas (Heb.) | daughter of |
bas mitzvah | a 12 or 13 fir old girl's coming of age ceremony |
bashert | predestined; meant to be |
bialy | Oat breakfast roll with a depressed center usually sprinkled with onion |
bissel (bissl) | a little, a bit |
blintz | filled pancake - sauteed or baked |
bonditt | a crook; a mischevious or (sometimes) a clever fellow |
borsht | cold or hot beet soup |
boychik | young boy |
bris | circumcision ceremony |
brokha | blessing |
brokh | misfortune |
bubbe | grandmother |
bubbemayse | nonsense; old wive's tale |
bubelah | darling, sweetheart - especially a child (lit. "little grandma") |
bubkes | nothing - an insulting sum or price |
bokher | yeshiva student (lit. chosen) |
bulvon | a brute |
chai (khay) | life; the number 18 |
chaim (khayim) | a man's name meaning "life"; |
chaim yankel | a country bumpkin |
challah | soft, braided ceremonial bread glazed with egg white |
chochma | wisdom |
cholent (tsholnt) | a Slowly cooked stow begun before Sabbath and eaten after |
choleria (kholerya) | a plague - used as a curse (M. cholera) |
chossen (khosn) | groom |
chuppa | wedding canopy |
chutzpa | unmitigated gall; nerve; daring; gall |
daven | to pray; agonize over a decision |
deli | prepared food, or piece where it is sold |
derinnen | thing - "in mitn derinnen' - in the middle of the thing |
dreck | garbage; something of poor quality (lit. keel |
driml | dream |
ek | end |
emmis | the truth |
er | suffix - plural |
farbissener | embittered person |
farblondget (farblondzhet) | gone astray. lost your bearings confused, mixed up |
farfel | farfl noodles in the form of small pallets, granules or squares |
farmisht | confused; mixed up |
farpatshket | messed up |
fartutst | befuddled |
feh | exclamation of disgust or disapproval |
feygele | an effeminate or gay male (lit. little bird) |
flanken | boiled flank steak |
fleyshik | made with meat |
fonfer | to stutter: a double talker; bluffer; cheater |
freilich | happy, joyous |
fress | eat, especially a lot or quickly |
frum | religious; observant |
gefilte fish | fish cakes (lit. "filled fish") |
gelt | money |
geshmak | extremely tasty |
get | a religious divorce |
gevalt | exclamation of help or fear |
gezunt | health |
ghetto | neighborhood; quarter of a city where Jews were required or chose to live |
glatt | strictly kosher (lit. smooth) |
glick | luck |
glitch | a minor detect, mishap, or malfunction in a machine. esp. a computer |
goniff | thief; rascal |
gornisht | nothing |
gotenu | oh my God |
gott | God |
goy | a non Jew, a gentile |
grosse | big |
gutt | good |
halakha | Jewish law |
halvah (Arabic) | crushed seam candy in a syrup base |
hartz | heart |
hasid | member of ultra orthodox hasidic Jewish sect |
heder | room - especially a school room |
heymish | cozy; homey; familiar |
hok to | yak; nag, strike; as in "hok a tshaynik" - to yak a Id |
hondel | to bargain |
hu ha | expression meaning surprise envy or admiration |
ic | suffix |
im | suffix meaning plural |
in | in |
is | is |
ish | suffix meaning being like |
kaddish | mourner's prayer |
kalle | bride |
kasha | buckwheat groats |
keppele | (lit. "little head") usually used affectionately with a child |
khaver | friend |
khazer | pig; person who is a glutton or selfish |
khazeray | fifth, trashy food; assortment of items, junk, nic Am |
kibosh | something that serves as a check or stop |
kibitz | chit chat; discuss informally; to comment while watching a game or working |
kind | child |
kinohora (keyn ayn-hora) | sort Vie evil eye |
kishkes | guts intestines |
klezmer | Eastern European Jewish folk music |
klog | Woo |
klug | smart or clever |
klutz | a clumsy person |
knaker | big shot someone who thinks they are very important |
kneidel (kneydl) | a dumping - usually made of matzo meal |
knish | dumpling usually made of potato or kasha |
kop head (loch in kop) | a "hole in the head" |
kosher | in accordance with Jewish dietary laws; honest |
kreplach | stuffed dumplings ~ usually served in a soup |
kugel | noodle or potato pudding |
kveil (kvel) | to be delighted; beam with pride; especially over children |
kvetch | a complainer; to complain |
lacht | laughs |
landsman | person from the old neighborhood or country |
latke | potato pancake |
leben | life |
liebe | love |
litvak | Lithuanian Jew |
loch | hole - 'loch in kW (lit. hole in the bead) |
lokshn | a tall thin person (lit. noodle) |
lox | smoked salmon |
loyf | run |
luft air ("luftmensch") | an Impractical fellow - a dreamer |
machen (makhn) | make |
macher (makher) | important person; big shot a "mover" |
makheteneste | your daughter or son's mother-In-law |
makhetunim | your spouse's extended family |
machuten (mekhutn) | your daughter or son's father-in-law |
madela (meydela) | young girl |
mama | mother |
mamela | little girl (lit. little mother) |
matzo | unleavened bread |
maven | expert; connisseur |
mazel (mazi) | luck |
mecheieh (mekhaya) | a pleasure |
megillah (megilla) | a long, complicated story |
mensch (mentsh) | a decent fellow, a decent human being |
meshugge | crazy person; nuts (meshuggener - crazy man) |
meshuggeneh | crazy woman) |
metsieh | a lucky break; bargain |
mishegos | craziness |
mikvah | ritual bath taken by Jewish women before getting married & other occasions |
michlig (milkhik) | milk product |
mir | me |
mish | mosh a mix up |
mishpocha (mishpokha) | family |
mit | with |
mitn | middle 'in mitn derinnen - out of the blue |
mitzvah (mitsva) | a good deed (Iit. commandment) |
momzer | rascal rogue (lit. bastard) |
naches (nakhes) | pride & joy delight |
nebbish (nebekh) | a sad sack |
nar | a fool |
nik | suffix dandling a person or thing |
nosh | a snack; to snack |
nu | exclamation meaning well or, so |
nudge (nudzh) | a bore or pest; to bore or pester; to push |
nudnik | a pest |
ongeblozzen | bloated; puffed Lip; overdone |
ongepotshket | messed up; slapped together |
ongeshtopt | very wealthy (lit. "stuffed") |
oy | exclamation |
oy oy oy | exclamation |
pareve | dietetically neutral; made without meat or milk |
patshke | mess around, fiddle with things |
pesach (peysekh) | passover |
peyes | uncut sideburns grown by orthodox males |
pisher | a young squirt |
plosher | a braggart |
plotz | to fall down extremely fired (14. to burst) |
punim | face |
pupik | navel |
pushke | charity container kept at home |
putz | a real jerk (lit. penis); more offensive than "shmuck" |
rachmones (rakhmones) | pity, compassion |
rabbe | rabbi |
sachel (seykyl) | street smarts |
safta (Heb.) | grandmother |
schneid (Ger.) | to shut out an opponent |
sephardi | an Iberian or Middle Eastern Jew |
seykhl | common sense, street smarts |
shm | sound used as a dismissing prefix |
shadchen | a professional matchmaker |
shaineh (sheyneh) | pretty |
shalom (sholem) | Heb. lit. peace; hello/good-bye |
shanda (shand) | a shame; embarrassment, humiliation |
shaytl (sheytl) | wig traditionally worn by European orthodox Jewish women |
shekel (Heb.) | money |
sheygets | a gentile man |
shiddach (shiddekh) | an arranged marriage; an arranged business relationship |
shikker | drunk |
shikse | gentile Woman |
shiva | period of mourning |
shlemeil | a simpleton unlucky person |
shlemazl | a fool; bungler; unlucky person: pathetic loser: nerd |
shlep | a bore or jerk; to carry or drag around |
shlock | junk, items of poor or worthless quality; cheap |
shluff | sleep |
shlug | to beat |
shlump | sloppy person |
shmaltz | wealth; corny; overly decorated (lit. chicken fat used for cooking,
or eating) |
shmatte | dress or garment (lit. rag) - can be used as a compliment or insult |
shmeer | a bribe; flattery; to bribe (lit. spread) |
shmegege | silly or stupid person; a simpleton |
shmendrik | an ineffectual or insignificant person |
shmo | a simpleton |
shmooze | to idle around and talk shop |
shmuck | a jerk (lit. penis) |
shmutz | dirt |
shnook | a dope or fool |
shnorrer | someone who takes more than his share, chiseler, beggar |
shnoz | nose |
shpilkes | jitters, nerves, anxious, inpatient (IN. pins) |
shtarker | a stout fellow; a strong person |
shtetl | a small town |
shtik | a routine or behavior, especially an actors |
shtunk | a stinker; an unpleasant person |
shtup | to stuff, screw or bribe |
shul | synagogue |
shvitz | to sweat |
simca | happy occasion |
soyne | enemy |
tallis | prayer shawl |
tam | taste |
tata | father |
tchotchke (tshotshka) | insignificant item, toy or ornament |
toches (tokhes) | butt |
tov (Heb.) | good |
tracht | thinks |
treyfe | unclean, non-kosher, forbidden |
tsaddik | a righteous person |
tshaynik | teapot (commonly used in "hok a tchynik" - to yak a lot) |
tsimmes | a vegetable stew; big deal; fuss |
tsdaka (tsdoka) | charity (14. justice) |
tsurris | calamity, trouble |
tsitses | fringe (of a talis) |
tummel | commotion |
tummler | funmaker |
un | and |
utz | nag |
vakakta (farkakt) | screwed up |
vance (vants) | post (lit, bed bug) usually used regarding a child |
veit | world |
vey | when preceded by "oy" - an expression meaning 'oh my God" |
veyn | cry |
vigorish (Ukranian) | interest paid to a moneylender; lit. profit |
vuss | what |
Yankel | country bumkin (when preceded by "chaim") |
yenta | a busybody. gossip or meddler |
yeshiva | school |
yichis (yikhes) | pedigree, lineage |
Yiddish | language of Central & Eastern European Jewry |
yold | a fool |
yuntov (yuntef) | holiday (lit. good day) |
zaftig (zaftik) | juicy plump, buxom |
zayda | grandfather |
zetz | a punch or blow |
zhlub | disheveled, pathetic person |
zits | sit |
zy | go
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