When Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe, they brought with them the Yiddish language. Over time, fewer of them spoke Yiddish at home, but many Yiddish words and phrases came into use by Americans generally, both Jewish and not.
Klutz: A clumsy or awkward person
Origin: From the Yiddish word klots, meaning “wooden beam”
Usage: “I’m such a klutz I tripped over my own shoelaces.”
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Nosh: A light snack
Origin: From the Yiddish nashn, meaning “nibble”
Usage: “I’m not hungry enough for dinner, but I could go for a nosh.”
Schmooze: To chat lightly
Origin: From the Yiddish shmuesn, meaning “conversation”
Usage: “Thanks for inviting me to Shabbat dinner, I loved schmoozing with your college friends.”
Tchotchke: A small item of little value
Origin: From the Yiddish tchatchke, meaning “trinket”
Usage: “Eh, throw it in the tchotchke drawer with the other magnets.”
Schmutz: Dirt or dust
Origin: From the Yiddish schmutz, meaning “dirt”
Usage: “Take your shoes off, you’re tracking schmutz all over the carpet.”
Maven: An expert or connoisseur
Origin: From the Hebrew mayveen, meaning “understand”
Usage: “She’s a social media maven; she has 3 million followers!”
Shtick: An act, or a gimmick, often relating to comedy
Origin: From Yiddish word schtik, meaning “thing”
Usage: What shtick was your favorite at the sketch comedy show last night?
Spiel: An involved story or tale
Origin: From the Yiddish word schpiel, meaning “game” or “play”
Usage: “I had to listen to this guy’s whole spiel about why he didn’t want whole milk in his coffee.”
Zaftig: Curvaceous or plump
Origin: From the Yiddish word zaftik, meaning “juicy”
Usage: The actress playing the lead role was a zaftig blonde.
Putz: An obnoxious or foolish person
Origin: From the Yiddish word potz, meaning penis
Usage: “What a putz! He backed into my car and didn’t even leave a note.”
