The Joys of Yiddish-- Yiddish Dictionary

• Ahftseloches (ahf tseh luh chass) n : inevitable bad luck. The result of a kinehora. The boss calls you in to tell you of your promotion and you have a piece of spinach lodged between your front teeth. Aftseloches, you think. Something like this had to happen!
• Alevai (ah leh vai) : "It should only be!" A seemingly hopeful exclamation which is actually an admission of hopelessness.
• Chazerai (chah zuh rye) n : Junky, unsubstantial stuff. What you win at the state fair. For lunch your teenager has caramel corn, marshmallows, pizza and pop—that's chazerai!
• Chutzpah : Colossal nerve. Theodore Bickel—who murdered his parents, then pled for mercy in court because he was an orphan—has chutzpah.
• Feh : A word of utter disgust.
• Genug : Enough already!
• Goniff n : A thief.
• Gornisht : Nothing! What your kid will get for next Hanukkah if she doesn't start cleaning her bedroom.
• Hock a chinick (hock a chy nik) : To prattle, to go on about nothing at an inappropriate time.
• Kinehora n : A curse in reverse. A colleague says with best intentions; "Looks like you're going to get a promotion, Jack." Kinehora! You quickly cover his mouth, for to utter such a thing is to ensure it will never happen.
• Kishnev n : A city in Russia. Any place so far away you don't know or care to know how to get there.
• Klutz (rhymes with guts) n : A clumsy, awkward person. A person who trips over things, bumps into walls and has "two left feet." A klutz is a person who frequently trips on his own shoelaces, falls over furniture and manages to drip mustard on his/her lap with such regularity that it confounds the laws of probability. Klutz's, however, are not unloved because they are usually the victims of their own misdeeds.
• Kvell (rhymes with swell) v : To express pleasure in a gentle manner. To exclaim joyfully or proudly, especially in boasting about the achievements of a family member. What you do at your child's Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
• Kvetch v or n : To complain in a nagging or whining way. A person who kvetches, is a kvetch. The kvetch can never be satisfied; for the kvetch, nothing ever goes right.
• Maven (rhymes with haven) n : An expert or connoisseur, often self-proclaimed.
• Mazel n : Luck. "That boy has such mazel!"
• Mazel tov : An expression of congratulation.
• Meshugana adj : Crazy, mad, insane. Meshugas n : craziness, madness, insanity.
• Mish mash (mish rhymes with dish, mash with squash) n : A hodgepodge, jumble, mixture.
• Nu : So!?
• Nosh (rhymes with Josh)v or n : To snack, munch, or graze—i.e., "Are you still noshing?" A nosh can be the object of the noshing—i.e., "Do you want a nosh?"
• Nudnik n : A pest of the human variety, the nudnik drives everyone crazy with his activities. Always present and always in the way, the nudnik is often tolerated but rarely loved.
• Oy gevalt (oy geh vahlt) : "May a great power intervene on my behalf." Used in desperate situations like when you get a call from the IRS or your dog digs up the neighbor's prize rose bushes.
• Oy veh (oy vay) : A combination of oy gevalt and veh is mir. An expression of exasperation, i.e., "What now?!" or "Oh, no!"
• Plotz : To feel so tired, excited or bursting with emotion that you could fall over. "When I saw him after all these years I felt like I could just plotz!"
• Potchka v : To make a mess, to mess around, to mess up.
• Putz (rhymes with klutz) n : A person regarded as simple, stupid, foolish.
• Shlep v : To drag. Not merely move an object, but to accept a greater burden than any person should be expected to—i.e., to shlep yourself to the mall to shop for Hanukkah presents, shlep the load of presents to your car, then shlep them into your house.
• Shlemazel n : These are the poor souls who are victims of shlemiels; the ones always having the soup spilled on them.
• Shlemiel n : All shlemiels are klutzes but are rarely loved because the victims of their "klutziness" are generally innocent bystanders. A true shlemiel is a waiter who invariably spills soup on his clients.
• Shlock : Anything cheap or inferior; junk, trash. A schlockmeister is someone who deals in shoddy goods.
• Shlump n : A person who is stupid, foolish, inept, boring and/or poorly dressed.
• Shlumper n : A lost soul. The shlumper always wears mismatched socks, a sweater two or more sizes too large, a shirt that is never quite clean and slacks that look as if they were last pressed a year ago.
• Shmaltz n or adj : Usually, rendered chicken fat used in recipes such as matzah balls. Also means something overly sentimental as in a schmaltzy movie or schmaltzy music.
• Shmatta (middle "a" pronounced "ah") n : A rag or something equivalent. "What, you want to wear that old shmatta?"
• Shmear : To smear. More commonly used to refer to an activity with all its related features as in "the whole shmear."
• Shmendrik n : Someone who should have known better. A person who thinks a shlumper can be reformed (it's impossible) is a shmendrik.
• Shmoe : A shortened version of schmuck; not quite as derogatory.
• Shmooze v : Idle talk, gossip, chat. To shmooze is to have a lightweight conversation, one not serious in nature.
• Shmuck n : A contemptible or foolish person; a jerk.
• Shmutz (rhymes with puts) n : Dirt; as in, "What's that shmutz on your shoe?"
• Shnook n : A person easily imposed upon, cheated or pitifully meek.
• Shnorrer n : A person who lives by begging or by sponging on others; a freeloader.
• Shnozzle, schnoz n : Slang term of reference for the nose as in Jimmy Durante/Shnozzola.
• Shtick n : Literally, a piece. Popularly, a person's "specialty" or bit. Singing is Barbara Streisand's shtick, giving audiences is the Pope's shtick, comedy is Jerry Seinfeld's shtick.
• Tsuris n : Difficulties, aggravation, worries, woe, misery. Tsuris covers a wide assortment of problems; tsuris is what nudniks have and are only too willing to share with others. Trouble, Jewish style.
• Tush (rhymes with push ) n : Term which refers to the part of the anatomy upon which you sit.
• Ungehpotchkeyed (ung geh potch keed) adj : Messed up, fussy, overdone.
• Veh is mir (vayz mir) : "I am pain itself!" A most melodramatic expression of suffering, used to describe everyday miseries such as shaving nicks, sinus headaches or acid indigestion. A favorite expression of kvetches and yentas, often preceded by oy.
• Verkocteh (fur kock teh), verkoct adj : A ribald word meaning worse than crappy.
• Vershtickt : Choking, gagging. The feeling you get when cleaning your freezer after a long power outage.
  Yenta n : A kvetch par excellence, the yenta will rarely tell you what is wrong and thrives on her ability to complain about absolutely anything to anyone, anywhere. A gossip or busybody.
  
  

  A sheynem dank  Thank you very much Biz hundert un tsvantsik  You should live till 120, long life to you Feh  Not very nice/ Disapproving Oy !-  A Disapproving sigh Schmattah-  A rag; you’re going out in that schmattah? Schmoozing, Talking about noting in particular Balagan- chaos Biz hundert azoi ve tsvantsik-  Live till 100, like a 20 year old Toomel-  A noisy chaos Schpeel-  "Selling job"  I had to listen to his entire schpeel L'Chiam-  To life Mazel tov-  Congratulations Zol zion mit Mazel-  Good luck Vee Geyts ?-   How's it going ? Vos makhtsu ?-  How are you ? Zay gezunt- Stay well, good bye Badhkin- Comedian - entertainer Balebuste- Excellent homemaker Boytchik- Boy affectionately Bubele- Darling, honey, sweetie Chaver- Close friend Chochem- Genius meant sarcastically ("you're a real freakin genius") Goyem- Any one other than jewish Gutte Neshome, Good soul, person Macher- Big shot Mayven- Expert at times meant sarcastically Mentsh- Decent person Zeeskyte- Sweetie Yiddisher Kop- Smart person Mishegas- Craziness Schmutz,  Schmutzig-  Dirt,  Dirty Tsoris Suffering, trouble   Gehakte Tsoris Worse sufffering or trouble   Heymish Homey, warm Mechaye A pleasure, a delight   Naches A pleasure, a delight   Rachmones Compassion, pity Ongepatcheket Overdecorated, overdone   Farputst All dressed up   Tsedreyt Confuzed, dizzy   Nisht do gedachet It should not happen to you Gezunter Healty, hearty   Farchadat Confused,distracted, dysfunctional   Farmisht Confused, dysfunctional   Farfalen Hopeless, doomed   Farblondget Lost, dysfunctional   Chalushisdick Neauseating, sickening   Tsiterik Anxious, nervous   Oysgeshpilt Exhausted, played out   Zitzfleysh Be able to to sit still for long time Farklempt Choked up   Frayleich Cheerful   Tsetumult Confused, bewildered Knubble - (garlic) A breath taking vitamin Nova Scotia They must mean Nova Kosher Chrane (horseradish) A Jewish eye-opener Bialy (A flat onion roll) Eet enough and get the bialy high Tsibelles (onion) All this, and herring too Knaiydleach (matzo ball) A penicillin supplemment Retach Radish repeat performance Mein Bubbe's Tahm Chopped herring Parve  "Bi" Anything that goes with every thing   Schmear Smear an unclassified meal Batampt delicious, tasty   Fligel A Wing Fleyshik meat products   Forshpaytz appetizer   Geshmak delicious, tasty   Katchke (duck) A person that talks and talks and ... Kugl Pudding   Latkes pancakes   Sahmaltz Chicken Fat   Shtikl (sliver) Anything less then a mouthful   Trayf unkosher and it goes well with cocktail sauce Menshlechykayt Human decency   Seychel Reason, common sense   Tam Taste, flavor, atmosphere   Shande Shame, disgrace   Yiches Family background, good family tree Handl Haggle,bargain Hameshe Home type   Kretch Moan, groan   Kvel To beam with joy, burst with pride   Tsimmes A fuss   Tsedoke Charity Parnoseh Livelihood Narishkayt  Foolishness Mitzvah  Good deed   Mishegas  Craziness Mazel  Luck Hekhsher  Seal of approval   Emes  Truth Ba-shert  Fated ,meant to be Chutzpah  Nerve Frayhayt  Freedom Koved  Honor Koyekh  Strength Kosher  Legitimate Shmear  Spread, bribe   Shmooz  Chat   Shtup  Have sex, to give a bribe   Platz  Explode with emotions   Geshrey  A scream   Mamma-lushin  Yiddish, (mother tongue) or home made Simcha  Celebration   Yiddishkayt  Jewishness   Kosher  Right, Honest: It don't sound kosher to me. Nosh  To eat a little something: I was noshing all day. Cockamammie  Crazy: He's got cockamammie ideas. Futz  To fiddle around; Geting your PC to work. Chutzpah  Guts, Nerve, no Shame : He is chutzpah. Gelt  Money: I got a lot of gelt for Chanukah. Goyim  Non-Jewish people: The place was full of goyim. Ganif  Thief: Don't be such a ganif   Kvetch  Complainer: Don't be such a kvetch. Me-ish-kayt  Ugly: The daughter is a reall meeskite. Mensch  A nice gentleman: He was such a mensch. Mishegas  Craziness: What kind of mishegas is that? Nebish  Little nerd: He is such a nebish. Shlemazel  Unlucky person: The poor schlemazel had his car stolen. Shma-tas  Rags: Your clothes look like shmatas. Shpilkes  Nervous energy: I had shpilkes before the interview. Shtick  Routine: That's his shtick. Kvel  To glow with pride: I could kvell watching those kids in the play. Mazel  Luck: I got such a mazel. Shlemiel  Fool: He's a real schlemiel, always screwing up.   Schmootz  Dirt: It's covered with schmootz.   Tsures  Troubles: That car gives me nothing but tsures.   Tsimmes  Fuss, Issue: She made a big tsimmes out of it.   Bupkis  Nothing:  I got bupkis for my bonus.   Knubble - garlic Chrain (horseradish) A Jewish eye-opener Sibela-  onion Knadel  matzo ball Retach Radish repeat performance Mein Bubbe's Tahm Chopped herring Parve  "Bi" Batompt delicious, tasty   Fligel A Wing Fleyshik meat products   Forshpaytz appetizer   Geshmak delicious, tasty   Katchke  A person that talks and talks and ... Kugl Pudding   Latkes pancakes   Shmaltz Chicken Fat   Shtikl (sliver) Anything less then a mouthful   Trayf unkosher and it goes well with cocktail sauce Menshlechykayt Human decency   Shmuck- foreskin (literal)