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