How to be a Cunning Linguist: Add Some Yiddish, of Course!

A guide to using Yiddish phrases in everyday conversation

This guest post by Deanna Bugalski from the JPF family was originally published on Medium.

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How to be a Cunning Linguist: Add Some Yiddish, of Course!

Yiddish is the language of my ancestors.

As a small child, I observed my grandmother speaking with my elderly great-grandmother in this animated language. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, and it seemed like it was their own secret made-up language that only they understood. I thought it was kind of like pig-latin, only way more complicated to understand.

What is Yiddish?

Yiddish, literally translated to ‘Jewish’, has been spoken for over 1,000 years. It’s considered a fusion language, combining German, Hebrew, and Aramaic, with a pinch of Slavic added.

It was the primary language spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews, Jews from Eastern and Central Europe, and throughout Russia. It was once widely considered to be the mother tongue for millions of Jewish people, allowing Jews from all over the world to communicate with each other despite hailing from vastly different places.

Before World War II and the Holocaust, there were an estimated 11 million speakers of Yiddish, and sadly, now it’s becoming a dying language, with roughly only 3 million people still speaking it in the United States, Israel, Australia, and Europe.

In the late 19th and 20th centuries, when many immigrants fled from Eastern Europe and arrived in their new Western countries they came to raise their families, Yiddish began to influence the way English was spoken. As a language, it was often passed down through the generations, and while the generations of today don’t all speak it fluently, it’s experienced a cultural revival in mainstream society.

So much so that many people now speak Yinglish, which is when we speak English with many of our favorite Yiddish words thrown in for fun!

If you have ever watched the television shows The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Goldbergs, Schitt’s Creek, or even Mel Brooks’ film Blazing Saddles, then you would have heard many Yiddish words woven into the scripts for entertainment.

Think about the word, Schlep. It’s much easier to use the word Schlep rather than to explain that you are carrying something heavy, going out of your way to do something.

Perhaps you were at a work function and had to Schmooze. You had to chat, make small talk or network.

Maybe you are a clumsy person who has been described as a Klutz. Klutz is a Yiddish word, too!

Yiddish has a unique charm that injects humor, warmth, and sometimes even a hint of sarcasm into everyday conversations. It’s more than just a language; it’s a way to add colorful expressions to your communication.

Here is a list of some of the lesser-known Yiddish words that pack a punch when used in the proper context:

Starting with something you might already know, let's go to Kvetch. Kvetch means to complain persistently. If your mother is complaining about nothing major but is ranting on and on, she is Kvetching.

Then, there are the Yiddish words that make a lot of sense when applied to various situations. When a situation or something is so messed up and broken, it’s now Fakakta. Similarly, a crazy, ridiculous, or insane person is Meshuggeneh, whereas when a situation that’s crazy is a Mishegas.

Is there any greater thing to do on a weekend than have a Schluf? No, is the answer, because it means to have a nap. After you have rested, you might have Shpilkes, which describes feeling like you have “ants in your pants.”

When a person walks around without a particular destination or no sense of urgency, they take a Shpatzir, which is always a great way to ease the anxiety that comes with feeling Verklempt, or overwhelmed with emotions.

Yiddish to describe

Yiddish often has specific terms or words that accurately lend themselves to being used when intending to judge another person. Judging a person for being an upstanding citizen or a genuinely nice person, they are a Mensch.

Then, of course, we have Yiddish to thank for many words that can be derogatory at the best of times, which is why using them instead of the English versions can be so much more descriptive!

An evil woman is often called a Cholera but can also be used when wanting to refer to someone as a whore. While a Kurveh is an actual whore or prostitute. This person you intend to insult might be a Mieskeit, meaning someone who is very unattractive, or if they are beautiful, you would call them a Shainkeit.

People who are grossly overdressed for an occasion or wear too much make-up or jewelry are Oyst-keputs. If someone or something appears dirty or unkempt then it’s Shmutzik.

Gey-fey-lach might describe something as utterly filthy, or if it smells terrible, it can be called Fershtunken! A mess that needs to be cleaned up is when someone grabs a Shmatter (a cleaning rag).

Yiddish to insult

Those Yiddish speakers had countless ways to insult other people, and Yiddish truly shines in the myriad of words you can use to describe the worst and most annoying people you know.

That stupid, pitiful, and painful person you wish to avoid at all costs is a Shmegegi, a Shlemiel, or a Schmo. While a Putz, Schmuck, or a Shmendrick is a jerk or a self-made fool, as these words literally mean penis, there are other ways to describe someone who is also just a massive prick! This type of person could also be a Nishtikeit, as in someone who is a nobody but behaves like a somebody in an arrogant way.

A Nebach or a Nebbish can describe an insignificant, pitiful person. They could be awkward or a simpleton, and they deserve our sympathy for being so useless. It’s almost a term of endearment in the same way a fool is a Yoisel. This word is by far the most used Yiddish word in my house, as whenever my children do something silly, we call them a Yoisel!

The only way to describe a lazy person, or a couch potato is a Lobbus, another of my favorite terms of endearment.

However, of course, there are far worse terms to use when we intend to insult another person. A Mamzer is a bastard, while a Goniff is a crook, thief, burglar, or swindler.

No one ever wants to be described as a Shnorrer! A Shnorrer is a tight-ass, a beggar, a sponger, a parasite, someone who would rather keep their money for themselves than ever dream of spending it on someone else.

If you describe a person as Drek, they are a piece of shit. To describe an item as Drek it’s also a piece of shit. However, by far, the best Yiddish description is kept for those people we all know who can never manage to put a smile on their faces. Ferkrimpter-punim translates to what we love to refer to as a resting-bitch-face!

Yiddish at mealtimes

The Europeans who spoke Yiddish as their primary language were people who loved food, and many loved to cook and share meals with their family and friends. They would often get together for a Fress (eat) and enjoy a bisel (a little) Nosh in a grazing way.

If they overate, they would be left feeling like they were Plotzing, another way to describe the feeling of bursting. The word Plotzing would also be used when a person was bursting with pride or had Naches, the sense of joy.

They also loved a drink. Those who got Shickered (drunk) or were known to indulge in too much alcohol were called a Shikker. When the bottle was finished, they would announce they had Gornisht (Nothing or nothing left).

Yiddish Body Parts

It’s always the height of immaturity, and yet so much fun to learn how to say the names of our body parts in another language. Growing up, I never heard my great-grandmother use the proper terms to instruct me to use a tissue for my Schnoz (nose) or to wipe my Punem (Face).

Babies always had the gorgeous chubby Pulkes (Thighs) and loved getting kissed on the Pupik (Stomach). Grown men with large beer bellies had Kishkas (Guts).

Amusingly, in Yiddish, there seems to be a fascination with male genitalia. There are so many words, such as Schlong, Shmeckle, and Putz, that all mean a penis. However, in Yiddish, there are also some brilliant ways to differentiate between what types of penises a man may have.

A Petseleh is a little penis, a Shvantz is a tail-like penis while a Petzl is a dirty penis!

Being kinder to women’s genitalia, a vagina is a Shmue, and everyone has a Tusik (Bottom).

Naturally, with a fascination of having so many words to use when describing genitals, it's no wonder the universal slang word for having sex, a Shtup, came from our loving Yiddishe community!

When you really want to drill a point across or use a term with some extra gusto, Yiddish can add that certain something to take a conversation or a piece of writing from mundane to hilarity.

While there are a million more words I can teach you, I will leave you with some of the most memorable phrases to use that, when said in Yiddish, truly pack the punchline!

If you are angry or not speaking with someone, you are having a Broygus. You may want to tell the person to ‘geh kaken’ (Go away rudely) and to Kish’m Tuchas (kiss your butt).

However, if you really want to tell someone to ‘shove (or stick) it up their rectum (ass),’ you would say ‘Shtup es in toches’!

That should leave you sufficiently with the last word! Now, go forth and use this excellent language in the best ways it was intended: to bond and share in love, laughter, and with a lot of meaning in everything you have to say!