The history of German and Yiddish speakers in the United States has lead to a wealth of calques, in which the grammar of one language is applied to another. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Calques” Hello, you have a wait with...
The Yiddish Project on Twitter translates Yiddish proverbs into English, such as, “Ask advice from everyone but act with your own mind.” It’s not far from Martha’s favorite advice from her North Carolina-born father: “Milk all the cows you can and...
Richard from San Diego, California, has a hard time believe that the term cockamamie didn’t start out as Yiddish. Although the word was adapted by Jewish immigrants in New York City to refer to transferable decals, it comes from French décalcomania...
What’s a tasteful way to refer to one’s rear end? Tushie and tush come from the Yiddish word tuchus. Also spelled tochis and tochas, it is regarded by some folks, such as the New York Times, as “insufficiently elegant.” This is part of a complete...
If someone’s being a bit lazy, or just moseying aimlessly, we say they’re putzing around. But the word put derives from the Yiddish for penis. Plenty of Yiddish words have made their way into the common vernacular, especially in the Northeast. This...
The old Yiddish word bupkis, referring to something of little or no value, has of late been split up for dramatic effect. As in, “that’s worth all of a bup and a kis!” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Bupkis” We get lots of email...