13 Yiddish Words We All Say

13 Yiddish Words We All Say

How many of these Yiddish words do you use? Adapted from The Yiddish Handbook at dailywritingtips.com.

Chutzpah

Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In English, chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but among Yiddish speakers, it’s not a compliment.

Glitch

Or glitsh. Literally “slip,” “skate,” or “nosedive,” which was the origin of the common American usage as “a minor problem.”

Klutz

Or better yet, klots. Literally “a block of wood,” so it’s often used for a dense, clumsy, or awkward person.

Kosher

Something that’s acceptable to Orthodox Jews, especially food. In English, when you hear something that seems suspicious or shady, you might say, “That doesn’t sound kosher.”

Kvetsch

In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine, or fret,” but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,” like a wrong-size shoe.

Maven

Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically.

Nosh

Or nash. To nibble; a light snack, but you won’t be light if you don’t stop noshing.

Schlock

Cheap, shoddy, or inferior, as in “I don’t know why I bought this schlocky souvenir.”

Shlep

To drag, traditionally something you don’t really need; to carry unwillingly. When people “shlep around,” they’re dragging themselves, perhaps slouchingly.

Shmaltzy

Excessively sentimental, gushing, flattering, over-the-top, corny. This word describes some of Hollywood’s most famous films. From shmaltz, which means chicken fat or grease.

Shmooze

Chat, make small talk, converse about nothing in particular. But at Hollywood parties, guests often shmooze with people they want to impress.

Shtick

Something you’re known for doing, an entertainer’s routine, an actor’s bit, stage business; a gimmick often done to draw attention to yourself.

Spiel

A long, involved sales pitch, as in “I had to listen to his whole spiel before I found out what he really wanted.” From the German word for play.

Any Yiddish words we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

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