GEVALD havoc
GEY GESINTEHEIT go in health
GEY GEZUNT farewell, go in health
GEY MIR IN DER ERD go to hell, drop dead
GEY MIR IN KEHVER go to your tomb
GIB DIKH A RICK move
GITOIK evil eye
GITTEN SHIDDEKH good match
GLATT strict
GLATT KOSHER strictly kosher
GLATT KOSHER FRESSEN eating kosher
GLAZEL glass; GLAZEL tea
GLEIBST do you believe
GLIKLIKH lucky
GOLDENEH MEDINA golden country; America
GOLEM humanoid from Jewish mythology made of clay; dolt, monster
GONIFF thief
GOTINYOO dear God
GOTT SEI DANK God be thanked
GOTT’S NAR God’s fool
GOY gentile (noun); GOYA gentile woman; GOYIM gentiles; GOYISH of the gentiles (adj); GOYISHKEIT the world of gentiles, gentile matters
GROBYAN gross, coarse fellow, boor
GURNISHT nothing
G’VIR man of great strength
HAARETZ a Hebrew newspaper (“The Land”)
HAGGADAH collection of stories and scripture for reading aloud on Passover
HAIRST VUS SER SUGT did you hear what he said
HAMANTASHEN stuffed pastries served at Purim, the festival commemorating the deliverance of Persian Jews from Haman’s plan to kill them
HA-SHO’AH the Holocaust
HATIKVAH “The Hope,” Zionist hymn, now the Israeli national anthem
HAVDALAH prayers recited at the conclusion of the Sabbath
HERAUS out; HERAUS, FERSHTINKINEH DRECK! Out, stinking, dirt!
HINT dog
HIVNUH contract
HULLADRIGAS unseemly women
HULLUPCHEHS stuffed cabbage
HUNIK-LEKEKH honey cake
ICH BIN DIR MOICHEL spare me
ICH KHOM MIKH BEPISHT I wet my pants
IHR ZOLT HUB’N A GITTEN SHABBES you have a good Sabbath
IKH FARSHTEY I understand
IKH VIL NISHT, IKH KEN NISHT I don’t want to, I can’t
IZ A FEINER MENSH he’s a fine person
IZ NISHT it is nothing
JABAH frog
JHIT Jew (Russian, derogatory)
KADDISH Hebrew prayer for the dead;
KADDISH’L son who will eventually say KADDISH for the parent
KADDISH V’YISKADDAISH, SHMAI RABOH The first line of the prayer for the dead
KAIVER tomb
KALYIKEH cripple
KAMERAD surrender (German for “friend”)
KAPUT finished
KATERENKE hand organ
KEDUSHIM wedding
KEEKHLE roll, small dry cake
KESSEF money
KEYN AYIN-HOREH [may there be] no evil eye
KHAD GADYO one kid; the name of a song sung at Passover
KHAROSES bitter herbs used at Passover
KHARUSEH repented
KHASSID devoutly Orthodox Jew, Hasid
KHLOP to strike a blow, to yammer
KHOKHMA wisdom, intelligence
KHOLLEH Sabbath bread
KHOLYERIA cholera, plague
KHUKHIM wise person
KHUMISH the study of Hebrew
KHUMITZ crumbs; matzah crumbs scattered before the Passover
KHUNTER (vulgarism) “cunt,” whore
KHUPPA wedding canopy
KHUSIN groom
KIDDUSH HA SHEM in honor of the lord
KINDERLEKH children
KINDT “MEIN KINDT” son, “my child”
KISHKA stomach, or dish made of stuffed stomach
KISHKEHS, KISHKELAH, KISHKELIKH stuffed pastries; (coll.) genitalia, innards
KLEEGE clever
KLETCHMER string band that traditionally plays at weddings
KNISH (vulgarism) cunt
KNUBL garlic
KOCKER shit (person)
KOLKI bullet
KOLLEH MOIT girl old enough to be a bride
KOMETS-ALEPH, “O”; KOMETS-BETH, “BO”; KOMETS-GIMEL, “GO” Hebrew syllables combining the vowel komets (“o”) with the consonants aleph, beth, and gimel, as recited by child learning to read
KOPF head
KOPTSN beggar
KOPTSN BRIDERL poor little brother
KOYEN Hebrew priest, descendant of priest of ancient Israel
KREPLACH a stuffed pasta dish, similar to meat-filled ravioli
KUBELLA cow
KUGEL casserole of noodles or potatoes
KUPF head, mind
KUSHENIRKE female shopper, haggler
KVETCH complain
KVOORIM tombs
LANDSFRAU landlady
LANDSLAYT fellow immigrants from the same hometown or region (German LANDSLEUTE)
L’CHAIM to life
LEMEKH lame, clumsy, awkward fool
LEYDN suffering
LIGNER liar
L’KUVET SHABBES in honor of the Sabbath
LOIFT SHOYN he is running already
LOKSHN noodles
LOKSHN-TREGER noodle porter
LOTKEHS pancakes
LUSHIN KOYDISH holy tongue
LUSST NISHT AUSREDDEN A VORT you don’t let me get in a single word
LYMINEH GOLEM clay monster
LYUPKA (Polish) love
MAKHER businessman, big shot, big wheel
MAKH GELT make money
MAKH SHNEL make haste
MALAMUT Hebrew teacher
MALKHUMAH war
MAMALEH dear mother
MARTIRA martyr
MATZAH unleavened bread
MAZEL luck
MAZEL TOV(S) best wishes, congratulations
MEESEH CHAIYE ugly animal
MEGILLAH long story
MEGST TAKEH GEYN IN DER ERD you can drop dead
MEHVIN maven
MEIN KADDISH’L IZ DUH my child is here; lit. “the one who will say Kaddish is here”
MEIN KINDT my child
MEIN ORMEH MANN my poor husband
MEIN ORRIM KINDT my poor child
MELAMED Hebrew teacher
MENSH man; honorable or admirable man; a good-hearted person; MENSHEN men; MENSHELEH little man
MESHINKEH machine