Common Yiddish Words Found in English

  bob(kes)    beans, nothing    He gave me babkes. kakameyme    crazy    He's got cacamaimey ideas. khalishes    ugly    That tablecloth is chalcious. khazer    a pig    He eats like a chaza. khazeray    junk    The dollar store is full of chazarai. khutspe    unmitigated gall    Oy, you have got a lot of khutspe! farkatk(e)    lousy, ridiculous    That's a facacta idea. farklempt    bummed out, bad mood    She looks very ferklempt. farbisine    bitter    Don't be so forbissima. farblondzhet    all mixed up    I got all furblungit. gey shlofn    go to sleep    Gay schloffing! gelt    money    I got a lot of gelt for Hanukah. goyim    non-Jewish people    The place was full of goyim. goyish(e)    mind of a goyim    He's got a real goyishke kup. ganif    thief    Don't be such a gunnif. kvetsh    complainer    Don't be such a kvetch. landtslayt    from your home town    They are luntslite. makheteyneste    in laws    My makatenista are coming.(male= mkhutn) mazl-tov    congratulations    Mazel tov on the new baby. miskayt    ugly    The daughter is a real meeskite. mentsh    a nice gentleman    He was such a mensch. meshugine    crazy person    He acts like a real meshungina. mishigas    craziness    What kind of mishigas is that? mishpokhe    family    Bring the whole mishpacha. mitsve    a good deed    That was a real mitzvah you did. mamzer    born out of wedlock    He's a mumza. nebekh    little nerd    He is such a nebish. nosh    to eat a little something    I was noshing all morning. pupik    belly button    You could see her pupick. shlep    to drag    I had to schlep it across town. shmendrek    jerk    He's a real schmendrick. shviger    mother in law    The schvigger is coming. shvitsn    sweating    Oy, am I schvitzing. (note: the ending"ing" is an English ending, in Yiddish: I shvits, you shvitst, he/sheshvitst, we/they shvitsn, you in plural shvitsn, you in polite versionshvitst sheygets    non-Jewish male    She married a shagitz. sheyner ponim    pretty face    Oh, shayna punim. shikse    non-Jewish female    He's going out with a shikse. shmates    rags    Your cloths look like shmatas. shmuz    dirt    It's covered with schmootz. shpilkes    nervous energy    I had shpilkes before the interview. shtik    routine    So, that's his shtick. treyf    non-kosher    That food is trafe. tokhes    tush    I'll pinch your tuchis. utzing    needling, bothering    Stop utzing me. mekhaye    particularly delicious    That dinner was a mechaya bobe    a "tall" story    That story was no bobbe myse. khokhme    bright idea    That's a real good chochmeh. kholem    dream    That's a cholem of a house! khutspe    nerve    She has a lot of chutzpah to talk like that! glik    happiness    Glick in the office makes for glick in the home. golem    clumsy and sluggish    The guy I work with is a real golem. handl    bargain (verb)    If you handel long enough, you'll get a good price. kibitz    to meddle    She likes to kibbutz with everyone at the office kunts    an accomplishment    It was a real koontz to finally reach you on the phone. kreftik    hearty    That is some kreftig soup! kvel    to glow with pride    Oy, I could kvell watching those kids in the play luftmentsh    dreamer    He's a real luftmensch when it comes to working hard! meyvin    connoisseur    She's quite the mavin when it comes to wine. megile    a long story    I had to sit and and listen to the whole megillah metsiye    bargain (noun)    That store has a great metziah onshoes. mezumen    cash    I have to borrow some mezuma from the bank. mishmash    hodge-podge    There's a whole mishmash of words here. nakhes    joy    I get such nachas from putting these words down. nosh    snack    We'll have a little nosh and then we'll talk nosher    nibbler    I'm a nosher all morning long. nudnik    pest    Stop being a nudnick and leave me alone! ongepatsht    a little too much    That outfit is a little ongapatchka pisk    big mouth    Let's hope he doesn't open up that pisk. plats    burst    You'll laugh until you plotz. zay gezundt    bless you    (when you sneeze) shlekht    bad    That restaurant is generally schlecht shlemil    dope, fool    He's a real schlemiel - always screwing up! shmendrik    fool    The kid is a real schmendrick shnorer    beggar    That guy is a real schnorrer. shiker    drunkard    That shicker has had too much to drink. shver    father in law    My shver is a nice enough guy tumul    noise, confusion    there's a lot of tuml coming from the kid's rooms tsures    troubles    That car gives me nothing but tzorress! genuk    enough    I've had genoog out of you today! makhn ash un porekh    destroy    He'll make ashen porach out of that report! tsigangnye/bobkelekh    small portions    Don't worry - you'll get tziganna bibkalach tsibele    onion    It will taste better if you spice it up with some tzibeleh. shlemazl    unlucky person    The poor schlemazel had his car stolen. https://web.archive.org/web/20070611114743/http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Yiddish/English/comwor.html