Hebrew Language A collection of Hebrew profanity submitted by you! Pronounced like ‘die’ in English, dai means ‘enough’ or ‘stop.’ If someone is pouring a drink, dai can be used to tell him when to stop. There are a number of Jewish or Yiddish terms considered to be slang. 40.
If you get pooped on by a bird, you might feel like a “shlimazel,” as if karma is against you. 38. (This is funny because the show Scandal was created by Shonda Rhimes.)
(Note: You can guess what the latter word, “cocker,” more literally means.
Originally merely descriptive, in present-day Israel it increasingly assumed a pejorative connotation and is regarded as insulting by Ethiopian Israelis and by African migrant workers and asylum seekers in Israel. Kopf translates to “head” in English, so this insult literally means “dumb-head.” This is a great, easy insult for any savvy, Jewish girl on the go who may not have time to come up with a complex dis for someone who’s so not worth the effort. בטטת כורסה. Also can refer to a person who is a hot mess. No matter what feeling you’d like to express, chances are that there’s a Jewish slang word that will get your point across. “Nem Zich a vaneh!”: Translates to “Go jump in the lake!”. We introduce you to Yiddish insults. Bobbymyseh: Used to refer to old wives tales or other poppicock, this term simply means “Nonsense!” 7. Meeskait: Means an “ugly little one.”. The literal meaning – “to make a salad”, might sound nice, but this Hebrew slang expression basically says “to make a big mess”.
Shmendrik: A stupid jerk; someone who is thin and weak, a runt or pipsqueak; also, someone of little worth with an inflated ego. Not all Jewish slang is limited to solo words. 51. If you’re expecting a big bonus you don’t get, you might kvetch about getting “bupkes!”, 8.
The literal meaning is “cabbage head” and it means “not so smart”.
Hebrew Slang Expressions You Need to Know.
Yoffi means beauty in the dictionary, but in colloquial Hebrew it’s ‘just great’ and is used as an adverb. — or an exclamation — zazim!
“Luzzem!”: “Let him go!”, “Stop bugging him!” or “Leave him alone!”. Similar to “Gah!”. “Abi gezunt dos leben ken men zikh ale mol nemen.” Sounds nice in Yiddish, right?
The phrase literally means “My grandmother’s taste.”. “Vey is mir!”: An expression of angst, similar to “Woe is me!” Like “Oy vey!” but a lot worse. The advent of Jewish slang words is a fairly recent occurrence.
It can be a question — zazim? As superlatives are worn out easily, sababa started by meaning ‘amazing’ and over time came to mean ‘cool,’ ‘great’… sometimes it can just mean ‘okay.’ To be sababa with something means ‘it’s all good.’. In alphabetical order, here are some Yiddish insults that are so specific they won’t leave your male subjects with any doubt as to why you’re casting aspersions (if they can understand you, that is): Alter means “old” (a fact I retained from Yiddish class), so noyef must translate to “dirty man.” This insult could describe the various men who have recently made it into the news for sexually assaulting and harassing women. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 31. Fercockt: Means that something is all screwed up or FUBAR. Shtik drek: Literally, a “shit head.”. אִימָא שֶׁל אִיצִיק: אֲנִי מְקַוָוה שֶׁיֵשׁ לָךְ…, This dialogue teaches vocabulary items that belong to the subject “renting an apartment”. Login; Register; Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; Instagram; About. slang words and expressions in modern Hebrew.
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Fertummelt: Mixed-up, confused, flummoxed. 7.
I don’t speak Yiddish myself, besides the words most English speakers know (schlep, schmuck) and what I learned taking Yiddish lessons for one year in college.
About Pink Pangea; Contact; WORKSHOPS. So when my partner brought home The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Yiddish, I flipped through it to see if I, too, was an idiot capable of learning Yiddish. Shlimazel: A person cursed with constant bad luck and to whom bad things usually happen. 41. Please think about voting for the accuracy of Hebrew swear words below or even add a Hebrew cuss or Hebrew slang phrase.
Check out these funny Jewish sayings for more ideas of commonly used phrases and expressions. Half of those expressions just happen to be insults. 57.
נְצִיג הַשֵׁירוּת: בּוֹקֶר טוֹב, גְבִרְתִי. Literally “explosion” – Means cool, awesome, Using the system to your advantage; an “under the table” or “off the record” deal, Literally “a waste of time” – Means awesome, amazing or the litteral meaning depending on the tone and context, Literally “end of the road” – Means cool, awesome, Literally “on the face” – means awful, bad, Literally: to “eat movies;” means to love drama, Literally: to “live in a movie;” means to be unrealistic, Literally “dog cold;” Means freezing cold, Nothing special; no reason; just kiddingI, To drag something heavy or to go somewhere with great effort or reluctantly, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), 500+ Commonly Used Hebrew Words with English Transliteration, Review of the 4 Best Courses to Learn Hebrew Online in 2019, The 6 Best Books to Learn Hebrew for Beginners, Top 10 Things to Do in Israel That Are Absolutely Free, 11 Resources to Learn Ancient Hebrew Online for Free. Here are ten words in colloquial Hebrew that will convince the crowds that you’re almost a local. Use these 35 Yiddish insults … 50. 61.
Sounds like Lucy’s last name on I Love Lucy. Gonif: Someone known to be shady or untrustworthy, a bamboozler or trickster.
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Moyshe kapoyer: Someone who is constantly upside-down or mixed up, always doing things the wrong way. 14.
Putz: Used to refer to a fool, someone who is easily tricked and taken for a ride.
Submit your writing to be published on Thought Catalog. Of course, while some innocent people can’t help their body odor, other smelly people clearly mean to offend your senses on purpose. Many people of the Jewish faith were already fluent in other languages and then took on the language of their religion afterwards. About Molly Winik. ~ Maya. 39. Call your best witch a makhasheyfe as a compliment and then maybe try and curse Trump et al.
Tuches: Your derriere or bottom. ), it means ‘great!’ This is what people scream when their football team scores, or when they get what they were yearning for.
Born in New York, but raised in New Jersey. Shnorrer: Someone who is always hitting you up for money, a mooch or a begger.
Jewish slang has been adopted with open arms by the English language. When does one “eat your head”?
Zazim literally means ‘we are moving,’ and it’s exactly a twin for the French on y va. “Feh!”: An exclamation that represents disgust, disappointment or disapproval, meant to sound like spitting. 26. Another nickname, but in this case it’s a sheer insult.
Beheyme: Literally translated, it means a “cow’s head” but as an insult, it means “fool.” A “kosher beheyme,” means a “trusting little cow” or a very naive individual, the kind who would let themselves be led to the slaughter, 6. 36. If you were to punch someone in the kishka, you would be going right for his stomach. This is obviously not good. The literal meaning is “cabbage head” and it means “not so smart”. Most Jewish slang comes directly from the Israeli, Arabic and English languages. Bupkes: Impolite, pejorative word meaning “very little” or “next to … When thinking about slang words and expressions in modern Hebrew, most are military jargon that entered the mainstream slang. Yesh is the Hebrew equivalent of ‘there is’ in English, so yesh café means ‘there’s coffee’ or ‘is there coffee?’ When it’s used on its own, however, said with a winning intonation (yesh! For the woman who’s at the bar to catch up with her friend only to suffer through repeated interjections from the drunk guy occupying the next stool over, this insult will come in handy. 37. Commonly used universally against Christians who are perceived to go out of their way to energetically preach their faith to others.
If you have a “shanda fur die goy,” that means that you fuck up in front of non-Jews, thus embarrassing your entire people. Yanacona a term used by modern Mapuche as an insult for Mapuches considered to be subservient to non-indigenous Chileans, "sellout". 54. Also connotes a cheapskate or frugal type. Note: For an entire array of Yiddish phrases, check out the invaluable book, Born to Kvetch. 11. It became a creole of numerous Eastern European languages and Hebrew.
Arguably, however, that isn't slang, just a common insult. Paskudnik/paskudnyak = A revolting, disgusting, evil person. Meesa masheena: A particularly horrifying, terrible or tragic death. Eastern European Jews spoke with one another in ways that incorporated the words and languages of their surroundings. Macher: A schemer or social climber; an ambitious person who wants to go far in life at any cost. Alte Makhsheyfe: An insult meaning “old witch.”, 2. 48. You might have heard Yiddsh or Jewish slang without knowing it. Developed out of Hebrew and German, Yiddish became its own rich lingustic culture, with a unique mode of expression all its own. 25. Of course, there are many more where these insults came from.
Below is a pretty comprehensive list of the most commonly used Hebrew slang words and phrases with interpretations. He says “manoosh” is old slang.
Common Hebrew Slang Words.
“Oy-yoy-yoy!”: A lamentation or other expression of grief and sorrow, such as in the news of someone’s passing. Someone can have a stinky attitude or a stinky body—or both!
British Insults. Use of the word "yanacona" to describe people …
There are more Yiddish slang words than there are letters in the alphabet.
16. Term originating from the Hebrew Bible, generally used to refer to a dark-skinned person usually of African descent.
Sure, they’d be nuts, but at least they would give a damn about something.It is not a coincidence that the symbol of my unit is a big ol’ black bird.
This insult can apply literally and figuratively.
Hitsiger almost sounds like heat-seeker, and that’s essentially what the word means—someone who is going to come in contact with the hit (heat) from hell because they have a bad temper.
34. Culture Trip stands with Black Lives Matter. Ongepotchket: Something haphazardly thrown together at the last minute or screwed up; that which looks like a hot mess. Shamatta: Means “rags,” but as in clothes, like the dress of a poor or unfashionable person. Thought Catalog published a list of 61 Yiddish insults, which feels like it ought to be […], […] 17. — to encourage people to make a move. Slur Represents Reason & Origins; 10% Off: Jews: Refers to circumcision and consumerism (never pay retail). Street Artwork by Eyali Richter @ Guy Sharett.
A good example of traditional slang in Hebrew is the expression “Ma-nish-ma” which means “What’s up?”.
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BATATAT KOORSA. See description for alter noyef, only know that this word is even more fitting.
See: Eve Harrington, Becky Sharp. 1.
Dumb-head will do just fine for your average fuck bois, DJs, and cab drivers who almost run you over while you have a walk signal. It is also a slang term for an evangelising Christian. Stam, pronounced like ‘stud’ with an ‘m’ at the end, means ‘for no reason’ or ‘just like that’: ‘Stam, I am at home, reading a book, nothing special.’ When pronounced like staaaaam, it means ‘just kidding!’ and can be used to play down things that are perceived as ‘heavy.’ When stam is said about a movie, book or restaurant, it means ‘it’s nothing to write home about.’, Sababa is an Arabic word that is used all the time in modern Hebrew. Kishka: The innards, intestines or stomach. I also threw in a few Hebrew slang insults which are good to know since they may come in handy.