AI; AI, YI, YI cry of surprise, alarm, etc
AI BIST DIE A HINT, MEIN ZIENDLE oh, you’re a dog, my son
A KLEEGE SHVARTZE a clever black man
ALLES everything
ALLES VEIST ER he knows everything
ALLEVAI would that
ALIYAH going up (as to the pulpit); back to Palestine, now Israel
ALTER KOCKER old man; (der.) old shit
A MEESEH MISHINEH AUF DIR a wretched fate to you
AN ALTE KLYAFTE an old virago
A NAR UND SHOYN a fool already
ANSHULDIG MIR pardon me
APIKOROS heretic; lit. “Epicurean”
A SCHEINEM DANK a handsome thanks
A SHLOCK AUF ISS damn them
A SHVARTZ GELEKHTER black humor
A SHVARTZ YUR a black year
A SHVARTZ YUR AUF IS it is a black year
AUF EIBIG forever; German EWIG
AUF MIR G’SUKT said about me
AUF SHPILKIS on pins and needles
AUSGEBRENDT, ICH BIN GANTS AUSGEBRENDT burned out, I am burned out
AUSGESTUDIERTEH studious
A VEYTIK IZ MIR woe is me
A YEET MIT A BOORT a Jew with a beard
AZA GITTEH KUPF such a good head
AZA KUPF what a head
AZA LEBN AF DIR you should live so
AZA MENSH such a man
AZA PARSHEVEH SHMUTZ such a contemptible louse
AZA PASKUDNYACK such a contemptible, odious person
AZA SHVER LEBEN living is so hard
AZ M’VAYST NISHT if you don’t know
AZ NISHT IZ NISHT if not, then not
AZOY? right; is that so?
AZOY DOFF SEIN that’s the way it has to be
AZOY ID ES SHOYN so it is already
AZOY SHEIN UND AZOY TROYRICK so beautiful and so sad
BABBEH grandmother
BALI GOOLEH stage driver
BAR MITZVAH the initiation ceremony for young men into Judaism
BARUCHA prayer, blessing
BARUCHES blessings
BARUCH ATAH ADONOI ELOHENU MELEKH HA OYLUM. . Praised are you, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the Universe
BARUCH ATOO ADONOI blessed are thou, Lord
BARUCH HA SHEM blessed be the lord
BEKHELES cups
BENKET banquet
BENSHT LEKHT to recite benedictions over lit candles on Sabbath eve and holidays
BETTERIEN batteries
BIST DOCH GEBOYREN IN GALITZIA nevertheless you were born in Galitzia
BIST MISHUGEH? are you crazy?
BIST SHOYN A GROYSEH MOYT you’ve already a big girl
BIST TAKEH MESHIGEH you’re really crazy
BIST TOCKIN A YOLD you are indeed a fool
BIYAH sexual intercourse
BLINTZES rolled up pancake with filling
BOORT beard
BORSHT beet soup
BRIDERL little brother (affectionate, diminutive)
BRIS Jewish ceremony of circumcision taking place eight days after birth
BUKHER fellow
BULBAS potatoes
CHAI tea
CHALLAH egg bread made for the Sabbath
CHARDASH Hungarian dance performed at weddings
CHEDER traditional Hebrew school for young boys of pre — Bar Mitzvah age
CHEDER YINGLE schoolkid
CHIBEGGEH nonsense word meaning chattering
CHOMPKEH chomp
CHRISTLIKHER Christian
CHUTZPA brass, nerve, gall
COMMOYSHEH commercial
DAMA woman
DAVEN pray; DAVENS prayers; DAVENING praying
DER ALTER the old man
DERMA cow’s intestine prepared into a special dish
DER VILLER IZ MER VI DER KENNER he who aspires excels him who knows
DIKTATS dictates, commands
DOS TSEYNDL the little tooth
DRECK dung; trash
DREI turn
DREIDEL a top marked with four Hebrew letters, used for games played during Hanukkah
DUMMKOPF blockhead, fool, idiot (German)
DUS HEIST KUNST that’s called skill
DYBBUK evil spirit or demon
D’YUKST AROS DE KISHKAS you’re rushing my guts out
D’YUKST VIE A KLUTZ you move like a log
EHRLIKHER YEET honest Jew
EPIKOUROS Epicurean; loosely, hedonist, atheist
ERETZ YISROEL the land of Israel
EREV PESACH evening of the Passover
EREV SHABBES evening of the Sabbath
ER FUNFET SHOYN now he’s speaking unclearly
ERLIKH pious
ER’S A MISHUGENEH he’s a crazy person
ES HOT MIR GEFELTE LIBE I lacked love
ESS eat
EYTSER piece of advice
FALASHA Ethiopian Jew, isolated from mainstream Judaism
FALSHEH-ZUP false (i.e meatless) soup
FARBISENER HINT angry dog
FARLEYGT displaced, out of place
FARSHTEST? do you understand?; IKH FARSHTEY I understand
FEINER better
FERFALLEN lost
FERTSFEILET (German) depressed
FLEISHIK foods prepared with meat
FLUDEN pastry
FOLENTSER lazy person
FORTZ fart
FRAYTIK AF DER NAKHT IS DOKH YEDER YID A MAYLEKH on Friday night every Jew is a king
FRAYTIK BAY NAKHT Friday night
FREG NISHT don’t worry, don’t ask
FRESS eat ravenously or loudly
FRESSER glutton
FULKOMEN entirely
FUMFIT speaks
GANTS wholly
GANTS GELER quite yellow, ripe; acculturated
GEFERLIKHE GEMBLERKE awful gambler (female)
GEFILTE FISH dish of chopped, poached fish
GEHARGET ZOLST DI VEREN may you be slain
GELIEBTER beloved
GELT money, gold
GEMÜTLICH cozy, comfortable, friendly; GEMÜTLICHKEIT friendliness (German)
GENUK enough
GERARA Yinglish for “get out of here”
GESHEFT store, business; pl. GESHEFTN
GESHREY screaming, to-do, outcry
GESHRIGEN cried