What does the Yiddish term schmuck mean?

What does the Yiddish term schmuck mean?

penis
Next we come to ‘schmuck’, which in English is a rather vulgar definition of a contemptible or foolish person – in other words, a jerk. In Yiddish the word ‘שמאָק’ (schmok) literally means ‘penis’.

What does the Yiddish word Mishegoss mean?

craziness
Mishegoss comes from the word meshuga, which means crazy. Meshuga: crazy. Mishegoss: craziness or idiosyncrasy.

What’s the difference between a putz and a schmuck?

In Jewish, a schmuck and a putz are both about stupid people. The difference is that a schmuck is out for number one, and a putz doesn’t know his kop from his tuches. The guy who cuts you off in traffic to get home 10 seconds earlier is a schmuck. A putz is harmless, but a schmuck can give you tsuris.

What does Zei Gezunt mean?

Be healthy, be well
Definitions. interj. Be healthy, be well; farewell!

Which is worse Putz or schmuck?

What is a Yiddish schmuck?

Leo Rosten, in his classic (and funny) book, The Joys of Yiddish (McGraw-Hill 1968), says the word schmuck is defined first as an obscene reference to the penis: “Never use schmuck lightly, or in the presence of women and children.

What does mishegoss mean?

1. mishegoss- (Yiddish) craziness; senseless behavior or activity meshugaas, mishegaas foolery, tomfoolery, lunacy, craziness, folly, indulgence- foolish or senseless behavior Yiddish- a dialect of High German including some Hebrew and other words; spoken in Europe as a vernacular by many Jews; written in the Hebrew script

What does the word schmuck mean?

Leo Rosten, in his classic (and funny) book, The Joys of Yiddish (McGraw-Hill 1968), says the word schmuck is defined first as an obscene reference to the penis: “Never use schmuck lightly, or in the presence of women and children. Indeed, it was uneasiness about schmuck that led to the truncated euphemism shmo ….”, wrote Rosten. Ibid. p. 361.

Is Schmuck really an obscene word?

Is schmuck really an obscene word? Schmuck is supposedly an obscene Yiddish term for the male sex organ, yet it appears all of the time in the media as an American idiom for a jerk. Can one use it in polite company?

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