The Funniest Jewish Expressions and What They Actually Mean

The Language That Refuses to Die

Yiddish is technically a minority language spoken by fewer people than it was a century ago. It is also, improbably, one of the most influential languages in American pop culture. Words and phrases from Yiddish have made it into mainstream English with a frequency that would have baffled anyone who predicted the language's demise.

The reason is simple: Yiddish has words for things that English doesn't. Not just concepts, but emotional textures. Specific flavors of frustration, affection, contempt, and wonder that English can only approximate with three-word phrases that still don't quite land.

Here is your field guide. Use these correctly. Your Jewish friends will appreciate it.

Chutzpah

Definition: Nerve. Audacity. The kind of boldness that makes other people's jaws drop, not necessarily in admiration.

The classic definition involves a man who murders both his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan. That is chutzpah. It is not a compliment, exactly, but it carries a grudging acknowledgment that the person possesses a kind of incredible nerve.

In contemporary usage, it has softened. People now say someone has chutzpah to mean they're impressively bold or confident. That's not wrong, but you lose something without the original flavor, which included the suggestion that the boldness might be slightly outrageous.

Schmuck

Definition: A contemptible person. An idiot. Someone who really should have known better.

The etymology is not family-friendly, which is part of why it has such satisfying weight. When you call someone a schmuck, you are not being merely dismissive. You are expressing a particular combination of contempt and disbelief that this person is allowed to make decisions.

Use it for the driver who cuts you off and then goes slower than you were going. Use it for the coworker who takes credit for your work. Use it for the guy who shows up to Shabbat dinner and complains that there's too much food.

Kvetch

Definition: To complain. A person who complains habitually.

The word captures something English doesn't: the specific relationship between complaining and intimacy. You don't kvetch to strangers. You kvetch to people you're comfortable with, people you trust enough to share your full catalog of grievances. Kvetching to someone is, in a strange way, a sign of affection.

Every family has a designated kvetch. This person is not annoying. They are providing a service. They are saying out loud what everyone is thinking, which allows everyone else to maintain the illusion of positivity. Honor your kvetch.

Mensch

Definition: A good person. Someone of integrity and honor.

This is the highest compliment in the Jewish vocabulary and it is almost always understated. You don't call someone a mensch when they do something extraordinary. You call them a mensch when they consistently do the right thing, quietly, without making a big deal of it. When they show up. When they help. When they keep their word.

Being called a mensch is better than being called brilliant or successful. It means people trust you with their problems. It means you're the person they call when things go wrong. That's a reputation worth building.

Schlep

Definition: To carry something heavy and inconvenient over a distance. Also, the journey itself when it feels like a burden.

"I had to schlep all the way downtown for a twenty-minute meeting." You feel that. You feel the weight of the journey, the time cost, the slight resentment. English doesn't have a single word for that specific experience. Yiddish does.

Schlepping is not just physical. You can schlep an emotional burden. You can schlep through a workweek that feels too long. The word carries weight in every sense.

Feh

Definition: An expression of disgust or dismissal. The sound a person makes when something is beneath contempt.

"Feh" requires the right face to work properly. The lips curl slightly. The nose wrinkles. The head moves back a fraction. It communicates, in one syllable, that whatever is being discussed does not merit serious engagement. It is the verbal equivalent of a wave of the hand.

Use it when someone shows you a bad business idea. Use it when a restaurant brings you a mediocre kugel and tries to pass it off as the real thing. Use it when someone suggests a political opinion that is too ridiculous to argue with.

Meshuggeneh

Definition: Crazy. A crazy person. But the affectionate kind.

Affectionate craziness. Charming craziness. The kind of crazy that you can't help but love even when you're exasperated by it. When you call someone a meshuggeneh, you are not diagnosing them. You are recognizing that they operate outside conventional logic in a way that is somehow endearing.

"You're going to drive to Philadelphia for a cheesesteak? You're a meshuggeneh." Said with love. Said with full appreciation for the commitment to the bit.

The Shrug

Not a word, but an expression that belongs in this list. The Jewish shrug communicates more than most speeches. It means: "What can you do?" It means: "Life is complicated." It means: "I have accepted the situation while not fully endorsing it." It means: "Things could be worse, but I'm not counting on it."

It is the gesture of a people who have learned to hold uncertainty with grace. Learn the shrug. It will serve you in every difficult situation life throws at you.

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