Yiddishisms
Borrowed Jewish phrases
Yiddishisms are words, phrases, or expressions borrowed from Yiddish into English.
Many have become mainstream: *chutzpah*, *kvetch*, *schlep*, *schmuck*, *shtick*.
Others remain marked as distinctly Jewish: *meshuggeneh*, *shiksa*.
Yiddishisms often carry expressive force that English equivalents lack—*kvetch* conveys more than "complain," *chutzpah* more than "nerve." They appear frequently in American English, especially in entertainment and in cities with large Jewish populations.
Yiddish dismay expression
- mazel tovHebrew celebratory exclamation
- chutzpahShameless, admirable audacity
- schlepAwkward, effortful journey
- kvetchHabitual grumbler
nosh · schmooze · kibitz · schmaltz · verklempt · tchotchke · shmuck · klutz
Comic tradition of diaspora
- Borscht BeltCatskills Jewish resort region
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- New YorkNortheastern metropolis and state
- comedyWork meant to amuse
Catskills · Seinfeld · Woody Allen · Brooklyn · deli · bagel · Lower East Side · immigrant
Adopted foreign vocabulary
- borrowingsMoney taken on credit
- AshkenaziJews of European descent
- GermanicOf Teutonic language stock
- HebrewSemitic language of Israel
adoption · slang · vernacular · colloquial · diaspora · immigration · assimilation · American English
Chronic petty complaining
- grousingHabitual petty complaining
- lamentingExpressing passionate grief
- endearmentAffectionate word or phrase
- exasperationIntense weary annoyance
affection · dismissiveness · sarcasm · resignation · warmth · complaint · frustration · tenderness
oy vey
Yiddish dismay expression
- mazel tovHebrew celebratory exclamation
- chutzpahShameless, admirable audacity
- schlepAwkward, effortful journey
kvetch · nosh · schmooze · kibitz · schmaltz · verklempt · tchotchke · shmuck · klutz · mensch
Jewish humor
Comic tradition of diaspora
- Borscht BeltCatskills Jewish resort region
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- New YorkNortheastern metropolis and state
comedy · Catskills · Seinfeld · Woody Allen · Brooklyn · deli · bagel · Lower East Side · immigrant · shtetl
loanwords
Adopted foreign vocabulary
- borrowingsMoney taken on credit
- AshkenaziJews of European descent
- GermanicOf Teutonic language stock
Hebrew · adoption · slang · vernacular · colloquial · diaspora · immigration · assimilation · American English · code-switching
kvetching
Chronic petty complaining
- grousingHabitual petty complaining
- lamentingExpressing passionate grief
- endearmentAffectionate word or phrase
exasperation · affection · dismissiveness · sarcasm · resignation · warmth · complaint · frustration · tenderness · irony
- dialectsregional dialect, local dialect, patois, vernaculars, vernacular
Yiddishismselevated language