MET death
MIKVEH ritual bath
MILKHDIK foods prepared with dairy products
MINCHAH daily afternoon prayers
MINYAN assembly of ten men necessary for religious services; quorum
MIR NISHT, DIR NISHT nothing to me, nothing to you
MISHIGOSS madness
MISHNAH interpretations of Biblical texts forming the older part of the Talmud
MISHPOKHA relatives, family
MISHUGENEH crazy; MISHUGEH AUF TOIT crazy as a loon
MESHUGENER crazy person
MIT GESUNDHEIT with health; do it in good health
MITZVAH good deed or Biblical commandment
M’MAKHT A LEBN I’m making a living
MOHEL person who circumscises a child at a bris
MOISHE KAPOYER a person who does everything wrong or in reverse
MOMINYOO dear mother
MOSHAV farm, commune
MUJIK Russian peasant
NA, A DRITTLE okay, a third
NAFKE whore
NAR fool
NEKHTIGER TOG lost hope; something impossible; lit. “yesterday’s day”
NISHT B’MUTCHKEH it’s not much
NISHT KOSHER not kosher; not right
NOKH A BISSELEH, NOKH A SHISSELEH just a little bit
NOO well, well now, so
NOO, VUS DEN well, what then
NOSH snack
NUDNICK nagger, nuisance
NUR BRING MIR NISHT KEIN BENKART just don’t bring me a bastard
NUR DEM only the
OONA TATEH poor father
ORMEH orphan
ORRIMEN TALYANER poor Italians
OUKH also
OUSGESHTUDIERT learned
OV TOIT completely
OY oh
OY, GEVALD cry of alarm, concern, or amazement
OY, VEH oh, woe; OY, VEH IZ MIR oh, woe is me
PARAKUTSKIE low-life
PARVEH Kosher term indicating that the food is compatible with meat and dairy
PASKUDNYACK scoundrel; an odious person
PAVOLLYEH slow
PECHAH calves’ feet in aspic
PEIGERN ZOLLST DEH he should drop dead
PESACH Passover
PETZEL penis
PEYOTH earlocks worn by devout Orthodox male Jews (Hebrew; PEYES in Yiddish)
PIPICK navel
PIROGEN potato and dough dumplings
PISHER one who urinates; insignificant person
PISHKEH a little pisser, alms-box
PLOTZ burst
POGROM an organized assault on Jews
POORITZ smart guy
POTATEH KUGEL potato pudding
PRUST simple, crude
PRUSTER ARBEITER plain worker, worker on lowest level
RABOINISH HA LOILIM (Hebrew) God in Heaven, Master of the Universe
REBBEH Hasidic rabbi
RIEBAHSEL grater
ROMAN serial romance, novel
ROV rabbi
RUGELEH pastry
RUSJINKEH little Russian
SCHADENFREUDE pleasure in other’s misfortunes (German)
SCHMALTZ fat
SCHMALTZY fatty
SEDER Passover service
SEH GURNISHT it’s nothing
SEH HEIST KESSEF it’s called money
SEHR GUT very good
SELAH be it so
SELTZER CUST GELDT seltzer costs money
SEYKHL intelligence, common sense
SHABBES the Sabbath
SHABBES BAY NAKHT Sabbath evening (Saturday night)
SHANDE shame
SHAYN nice, good
SHEHTL wig
SHEINEH beautiful
SHEKHEYOONI blessing said at beginning of holiday or other happy occasions, lit. “that He let us live”
SHEMEVDIK bashful, timid, shy, shamefaced
SHENK give, donate
SHEYTL wig
SHIKKER drunkard
SHIKKER AUF TOIT he’s dead drunk
SHIKSA gentile girl
SHIM a Hebrew letter
SHIVA the seven-day period of mourning the dead
SHIXAL fate
SHLAKHT HAUS slaughter-house
SHLEMIEL bungler, fool, an ill-fated person
SHLEP, SHLEPPEN carry, pull
SHLEPPER someone who fetches and carries at work; someone who drag’s one’s feet; someone untidy; laborer
SHLIMAZL unlucky person
SHLOIMEH, HA MAILACKH Solomon the king
SHMAI YISROEL, ADONOI ELOHENU ADONOI EKHUD Hear, O Israeclass="underline" Adonai is our God, Adonai is One (Deuteronomy 6:4), the Jewish creed
SHMATTAS rags that old women buy and wear; clothes
SHMERTZ pain
SHMOOLYAREH, SHMOOLYARIS dollar, dollars
SHMOOZE converse in friendly fashion, chat
SHMOTT convert
SHMUCK jerk; (lit) penis
SHNORRER, SHNORRERKEH, SHNORRING beggar, moocher, begging
SHOTKHIN matchmaker
SHOYN already; SHOYN FARFALLEN already lost; SHOYN GENUG already enough
SHOYN MILLT ALLE FON already will all go
SHOYN TSAT TSE ZAHN A MENSH already that is a man
SHROTCHKEE diarrhea
SHTAR written agreement
SHTARKEH strong
SHTETL traditional Eastern European Jewish community
SHTICKEL a bit
SHTRAML wide-brimmed black hat worn by orthodox Jewish men, especially in Galitzia and Poland
SHTUDIER study; SHTUDIERST are you studying
SHUL synagogue
SHVAKH ill
SHVARTZE black; African-American
SIDDUR prayer book
SIE HUT NISHT GEVISSEN she didn’t know
SIS MIR GIT it’s okay with me
SIT A SAKH HELFIN that will help a lot
SIT BALT SEIN DU A MALKHUMAH there’ll be a war here soon
SIZ A MANSEH MIT A BEAR it’s a story with a bear (fairy tale)
S’IZ AZOY SHVER it is very heavy or hard
S’IZ GIT KALT it’s quite cold
S’IZ TAKEH GOLD? it’s really gold?
S’KIMTEH DIR TOCKIN A SHEKHEYOONI, TATEH indeed, may a blessing be given to you, father
SOLLST KHOPPEN A KRENCK catch the plague