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. Cockamamie, or cockamamy, is now used to describe something wacky or ridiculous, and it’s often heard among those familiar with Yiddish. This is part of a complete episode.
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Among the proverbs in Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations (Amazon): If you drop gold and books, pick up the books first, then the gold. This is part of a complete episode.
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