Victoria from Dallas, Texas, asks whether kibitz means “to joke,” “to chat,” or “to offer advice from the sidelines.” All three senses appear in English influenced by Yiddish, where the word has ranged from casual talk to wisecracking to meddlesome commentary. The verb has more than one meaning, and both pronunciations, KIB-its and ki-BITS, are heard. Its deeper history may lead back to German Kiebitz, the lapwing, a bird associated in folklore with noisy interference. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Does Kibitz Mean to Joke, Chitchat, or Meddle?”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi.
Hi.
This is Victoria Pittman-Waller from Dallas, Texas, and I was calling about the word kibitz or kibitz.
Kibitz or kibitz?
My husband and I use it differently.
I’ve always thought it meant to joke with somebody, and he always uses it as in chat with somebody, which is, you know, subtle, but yet different, you know, because I mean, it’s very specifically joking as the way I was always taught it was.
Yeah, it’s complicated. If you look at a mainstream American dictionary, they’ll basically give you two definitions. One will be to just kind of chit chat with somebody. And the other one will be to kind of overlook something that’s happening and offer your opinions or advice from the outside.
But if you look in more specific works that deal specifically with Yiddish and Yiddish English, which is where Yiddish flavored English, which is where we get this term, you will find much broader definitions, including one that has something about to joke or crack wise.
And so it turns out that you’re both right, depending on the context.
Oh, but he’s right.
It’s the more his is the more traditional definition.
Mine is the more.
Yours was the one that said you thought it was about joking, cracking wise.
Yeah, I thought it was about joking and specifically joking, and he uses it as chatting with or talking to.
And is it kibitz or kibitz?
It’s both.
Kibitz is the more traditional pronunciation, but kibitz is also used.
Kibitz.
Okay, well, that solves it for me.
Thank you so much.
I just want to kind of plug into something you just said, though.
Just to be clear, his isn’t necessarily more correct than yours.
They’re both correct.
It’s completely dependent upon context.
His is a little more common, but that doesn’t make it more right.
Okay.
Well, of course, you know, it would always be true.
The woman has all the subtleties, right?
Perhaps.
Absolutely.
No, I’m kidding.
I’m kidding.
I’m kibitzing.
You’re kibitzing.
Just joking.
That’s right.
You know, it’s interesting that the origin of it, it goes back to a German word that means to look on at cards, you know, when people are playing cards and to offer advice and that kind of thing.
But before that, a word relating to a kind of bird, which makes a loud, annoying noise.
Right, right, that has a reputation in folklore of being a kind of meddlesome bird.
So all those kinds of meanings are sort of swishing around.
That’s the nice thing about Yiddish.
Oh, it has something to do with meddling as well as giving advice.
Yeah, it’s interesting.
So unsolicited advice.
Yeah, unsolicited advice, exactly.
The senses of the word kibitz have something to do with interfering.
Yeah.
Where you are not really the primary player or participant.
There’s a stage show happening, and if you’re kibitzing in the audience, that means you’re chatting to the audience.
Or if there’s a stage show that’s happening and you’re shouting things to the actors, you’re kibitzing from the audience.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, good.
Thanks, Victoria.
Thanks for calling.
Take care now.
Okay.
Bye-bye.
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