Yiddish Vocabulary

noun a slang term for money or wealth, often used in reference to Jewish culture or traditions

• The businessman handed over a large sum of gelt to seal the deal.
• I need to save up some gelt if I want to go on that trip.
• Hey, can you spot me some gelt for lunch?
• Her kindness was the true gelt that brought joy to everyone around her.

noun a person who constantly complains or criticizes

verb to complain habitually or constantly

• The customer continued to kvetch about the service they received at the restaurant.
• My grandma always kvetches about the weather being too hot.
• Stop kvetching about your job and do something about it.
• She tends to kvetch about everything, but deep down she's a very positive person.

noun a person who persistently annoys or nags others

verb to annoy or pester persistently

• She tried to nudzh her colleagues into finishing the project on time.
• Stop nudzhing me about cleaning my room, I'll do it eventually.
• He's always nudzhing me to lend him money.
• The constant rain nudzhed at my mood, making me feel gloomy.

noun a clumsy or inept person

• The schlemiel in the office always seemed to make mistakes that cost the company money.
• Don't be such a schlemiel and forget your keys at home again.
• He's such a schlemiel, always tripping over his own feet.
• She felt like a schlemiel in the dating world, constantly making awkward mistakes.

noun a tedious or difficult journey

verb to carry or drag with great effort

• The employees had to schlep all the equipment to the conference room for the presentation.
• I really don't want to schlep all the way to the store just to get some milk.
• I can't believe you made me schlep all the way across town just to pick up your package.
• She felt like she had to schlep the weight of the world on her shoulders.

noun a crazy or foolish person

• The professor referred to the student as a meshuggener for constantly disrupting class.
• My uncle is a total meshuggener when it comes to telling jokes at family gatherings.
• I can't believe that meshuggener cut me off in traffic!
• Her ideas were so outlandish, some people thought she was a real meshuggener.

noun A synagogue or place of Jewish worship.

• The community gathered at the shul for the evening service.
• Let's meet at the shul for the holiday celebration.
• I heard there's a cool event happening at the shul tonight.
• The shul of knowledge is where I go to learn and grow.

adjective giving an impression of home, comfort, and warmth; cozy or unpretentious

• The quaint little cottage had a haimish feel to it, with its cozy furnishings and warm lighting.
• I love coming over to your place, it's so haimish and inviting.
• The coffee shop down the street has a real haimish vibe, perfect for hanging out with friends.
• The old bookstore was a haimish sanctuary for book lovers, a place where they felt truly at home.

noun a chronically unlucky or accident-prone person

• The schlimazel seemed to have a string of bad luck following him wherever he went.
• Poor guy, he's such a schlimazel.
• Don't be such a schlimazel, things will turn around eventually.
• She felt like a schlimazel in a game of life where everyone else seemed to have better luck.

noun a Yiddish term used to denote something or someone of little value or importance

• The scholar used the term 'schm-' as a prefix in his academic paper.
• I heard that new restaurant serves some delicious schm- dishes.
• I can't believe he's still wearing those schm- shoes.
• She always adds a little schm- to her stories to make them more interesting.

verb to collapse or faint, especially from surprise or exhaustion

• The sudden news caused him to plotz in the middle of the meeting.
• When he heard the gossip, he nearly plotzed on the spot.
• I can't believe she plotzed when she saw her ex with someone else.
• The weight of the secret was so heavy, she felt like she was plotzing from the pressure.

noun a foolish or worthless person

• The cleaning crew will be coming in to scrub the floors and remove any putz left behind.
• Don't be such a putz and help me with this project.
• He's always acting like a putz, thinking he's better than everyone else.
• She putz around the house all day, never getting anything done.

noun a Yiddish term for a pig or someone who is greedy or gluttonous

• The antique shop had a variety of chazzer items for sale.
• I found a cool chazzer at the thrift store today.
• Let's go check out the new chazzer shop in town.
• His mind was like a cluttered chazzer, full of random thoughts and ideas.