Mercy of a Rude Stream: The Complete Novels

GLOSSARY OF YIDDISH AND HEBREW WORDS AND PHRASES

Note: Some spellings reflect Galitzianer pronunciations and may seem unfamiliar to speakers of “standard” Yiddish; others, such as cheder rather than kheder, are the most common English spellings. Some words, such as klyasses, are adaptations of English words, and even Yiddish words, such as fress, often have English inflections: fressing.

ABI GESINT as long as you’re healthy

A BISL NAKHES a little satisfaction

A BRUKH AF DIR a curse on you

A BRUKH IZ MIR I’m broken up

A BRUKH UF ZEH a curse on them

A FERD NOCH another horse; one more horse

AF MAYNE PLAYTSES on my shoulders

A GANTSER HUNDERTER a whole hundred

A GANTSEH YEET a whole Jew

A GITTEN SHABBES a good Sabbath

A GRUBER YING a coarse lout

A GUTN YUNTIFF a good holiday

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

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

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 Israel: 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

S’PAHST NISHT it doesn’t fit

S’TOIGT SHOYN UF A KAPURA it is worth a sacrifice; not worth much

TAKEH indeed; TAKEH EMES indeed true

TALMUD rabbinical commentaries on the Torah

TANTA aunt

TATEH father

THALLIS prayer shawl

TOCKIN indeed

TOKHTEREL daughter

TOV good

TREIFE nonkosher

TROMBENYIK ne’er-do-well

TSEEGEKHAPPEN fornication

TSEVORFEN, TSEVORFENEH scattered

TSIMMES sweet dish of stewed fruit or side dish of vegetables and fruit; dessert

TSITSES habitually goes “Tsk-tsk”

TSURIS troubles, worries

TSU VELKHE KLYASSES to which classes

TSVEI’N DREIZIG thirty-two

TUKHIS AFIN TISH ass on the table

TUMMEL commotion

TVILLIM phylacteries

TZADDIKIM righteous men, holy men

UHMEIN SELUH Amen, so be it

UND and

VEHR VEIST who knows

VEITIG sorrow

VERBRENT burned out

VERENEKEHS fried pastry made of rounds of dough filled with jelly, fruit or meat

VERFALLEN lost

VERFLUKHTEH damned

VERFOLLEN ZOLL ER VIE E LIKT may he rot where he lies

VERSHTINKENEH foul

VEY sorrow; VEY IZ MIR woe is me

VIDDER again

VIE A TOITEN BANKEHS cupping a cadaver

VIE ZOY how come?

VI M’GEYT UN VEN M’GEYT TSU HERN DI PROFESSORS how and when you go to listen to the professors

V’IM LO AKHSAV, MATAI? if not now, when?

VIR HUTZIKH TSEGEKHAPT we grappled

VONNEH bath

VUS HEIST what does it mean

VUS I’DIS what’s that

VUS MACHT IHR? how are you?

VUS MACHT SIKH what’s up?

VUS YUKSTEH why are you rushing

WUNDERBAR wonderful (German)

YAPONCHIKIS Japanese

YEET Jew

YELED boy

YENEMS belonging to that other person; bummed cigarettes

YENTA shrewish or gossipy woman

YESHIVA rabbinical college; also an Orthodox Jewish high school for both secular and religious study

YIDDISHER KUPF Jewish head; intelligent or wily person

YIDDISHKEIT Jewishness, Yiddish life or culture

YIDLEKH little Jew

YINGLE little youth

YINGOTCH overgrown youth

YISGADAL, V’YISKADASH, SH’MEY RABO first lines of the Kaddish: “Magnified and sanctified be the name of the Lord”

YOLD fool

YOM KIPPUR Day of Atonement, most solemn Jewish fast day

YUKSTEH to rush

YUNTIFF holiday

ZAFTIG full-figured

ZE VUN SIKCH BALT GESHLUGEN TSIM TOIT they almost killed each other

ZEY HOBN GEMAKHT A GITTEN SHIDDEKH they’ve made a good match

ZINDLE child

Z’MISHT confused

ZOLL DIR GOTT HELFEN may God help you

ZOL ER GEHARGERT VERN may he be murdered

ZOL GEHEN MIT MAZEL may you go with luck

ZOLST GEBENTSHT VERN may you be blessed

ZOLST GEHEN GESINT may you go in health

ZOLST SHOYN ELTER VERN may you not grow any older

ZUG speak

ZUS VERFOLLT VEREN you should rot

ZUZIM coins (archaic; occurs in song KHAD GADYO)

ZVICKER pince-nez glasses