Your Ultimate Guide To Yiddish Slang

Helping our goyim friends to schmooze, plotz, kvetch, schlep and not let the mishpocheh drive you completely meshuggah.

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AlteKaker

Via wordpress.com

An “old fart.” It’s not a nice word. Don’t say it in front of your bubbe.

Balebuste

Via blogger.com

An excellent homemaker and wife. The landlord or boss’s wife.

Batamt

Via b.vimeocdn.com

Delicious. But in slang it can refer to anything you really enjoy.

Bashert

Via wordpress.com

Predetermined. Can be used as a noun to refer to a soul mate.

Bisl

Via upload.wikimedia.org

Little bit. A bisele is a tiny bit.

BobaMayse

Via ehow.co.uk

Old wive's tale.

Bubbe

Via flickr.com

Grandmother

Bopkis

Via notquiteamishliving.com

Literally, it means "beans." Nothing, zip, zilch, nadda.

Dreykop

Via wordpress.com

A confused guy. Literally "his head is turned around."

Ekvelt

Via flickr.com

The end of the Earth. Like huppitzville. In the middle of nowhere.

Emes

Via tumblr.com

Beautiful

Epes

Via wordpress.com

Something. Can be used as emphasis. Epes a meshuga! Really a crazy guy!

Es

Via tumblr.com

Eat. Es mayn kind! Eat my child!

Farbisene

Via tumblr.com

Bitter… often referring to people. A sourpuss.

Farblondzhit

Via cdn.uproxx.com

Confused

Farkakt

Via s3-ec.buzzfed.com

Screwed up. Don’t say this one in front of your bubby either.

Fargenign

Via s3-ec.buzzfed.com

Delight

Farklemt

Via blogger.com

All choked up. Literally or emotionally. [Mike Meyers made this one famous with his "Coffee Talk" sketch (schtick) on SNL. I still don't know what a "genektagazoynk" is. His character used to say "I've got shpilkes (needles) in my genektagazoyk."

Farkrumte

Via static.nme.com

Twisted or crooked.

Farmisht

Via reactiongifs.com

Mixed up. I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m all farmisht.

Farshikert

Via reactiongifs.com

Extremely drunk.

Farshtunken

Via pardaphash.com

Rotten. Literally or figuratively.

Feygela

Via tumblr.com

A little bird. In the US it is used by Yiddish speakers when referring to a gay man.

Feh!

Via reactiongifs.com

An expression of disgust. Woodie Allen… Feh! Mayonnaise on white bread? Feh!

Freylokh

Via tumblr.com

Happy

Fres

Via tumblr.com

To wolf food down. What a fresser! Is like, what a pig.

Frask

Via tumblr.com

Slap

GroyseMakher

Via mobfd.biz

A man of influence… or maybe he just thinks he is.

Geshmak

Via flickr.com

Delicious. Tasty.

Geshray

Via tumblr.com

A scream.

Goyim

Via leaderbird.com

Non-Jews. The singular is a goy.

Groyse

Via irishdogs.ie

Large

Heymish

Via i.imgur.com

Homey. One of the guys.

Kakameyne

Via gifrific.com

Rude

KhayimYankel

Via privatelosangelestours.com

A hick, or just a Joe Shmoe.

Kleyne

Via irishdogs.ie

Small

Klots

Via tumblr.com

Clumsy.

Kvel

To glow with pride.

Kvetch

Via tagroom.com

To complain a great deal or someone who complains a great deal.

Mensch

Via data.whicdn.com

Literally, “human being.” Used as a high compliment, like a real gentleman.

Mishegas

Via i1082.photobucket.com

Crazy or insane behavior.

Mishpakhe

Via images2.fanpop.com

Family

Mitendrinen

Via 0.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com

Right in the middle. Often in an out of context way.

Mutshe

Via media.salon.com

To get on someone's nerves.

Narishkayt

Via wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net

Fool.

Nebbish

Via mobfd.biz

Nobody special.

Nudnik

Via tumblr.com

A boring person

Nosh

Via tumblr.com

Eating. Or food that you are eating. Probably when you are not hungry.

Nu

Via tumblr.com

So. So? So?! Nu. Nu? Nu?!

Plotz

Via tumblr.com

Collapse or be beside oneself with frustration or other strong emotion.

Potshki

Via tumblr.com

Experiment, dabble, mess around, play around with. “I don’t really paint. I just potshki.” “I was just potshki-ing around in the kitchen with whatever I had in the fridge, but it turned out pretty good.”

Punim

Via tumblr.com

Face. A “sheyna punim” is a pretty or beautiful face.

Seykhel

Intelligence.

Shiksa

Via tumblr.com

A non-Jewish woman.

Schlep

Via funnyjunk.com

To carry or drag. You can shlep yourself too.

Schmatta

Via s5.favim.com

A cheap, raggedy piece of clothing.

Schmear

A spreadable something. Or the act of spreading something. Like on a bagel. Or elsewhere.

Schmegegge

Via hollywoodnose.com

Not the brightest person.

Shpilkes

Impatience. Literally “needles.” You get it in your genecktigazoink.

Shvits

Via tumblr.com

What you do when it gets hot. Like this.

Takhshet

Via tumblr.com

Brat

Tashmesh

Via tumblr.com

Tuchus

Via tumblr.com

You twerk with it.

Vash

Via tumblr.com

Alcohol

Vildayeha

Via tumblr.com

A degenerate, hooligan or wild person.

Yenta

Via tumblr.com

A matchmaker. Less frequently someone who is nosy.

Zeenish

Via stream1.gifsoup.com

Hallucinate or one who is hallucinating. Also delirious.