Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| baalebos | the master of the house > BAALEBATIM. |
| bagel beigel | a hard, leavened, ring-shaped roll. [Yiddish beygel]. |
| bubkes bubkis bupkes bupkis bupkus | a very small amount. |
| biali bialy | an onion roll > BIALIS; BIALYS or BIALIES. |
| blintz blintze | a thin filled pancake. |
| boychick boychik | boy, term of endearment. |
| bubbe bubbie | a Jewish grandmother. |
| bupkes bupkus | see bubkes. |
| chatchka chatchke | a knickknack. |
| cholent | a Jewish stew of boiling fowl, rice and vegetables. |
| chutzpa chutzpah hutzpa hutzpah | sass, moxy; nerve, gall. |
| daven doven | to utter Jewish prayers. |
| dibbuk dybbuk | a dead person's soul inhabiting a living person. |
| dreck drek | inferior merchandise, rubbish. |
| dreidel dreidl | a 4-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top; a children's game of chance played with this especially at Hanukkah. |
| farfal farfel | grains of dough used as a soup garnish. |
| fleishig fleishik | made of meat or meat products. |
| furshlugginer | well-worn, beat-up. |
| futz | to spend time aimlessly. [Origin uncertain: perh. alt. of Yiddish arumfartzen fart about.] |
| ganef ganev ganof gonef gonif goniff gonoph | a thief. |
| gazump | (coll.) to unfairly acquire a property by bidding more than an offer that has already been accepted. |
| gefilte gefullte | as in gefilte fish, a dish of fish stuffed with various ingredients. |
| gelt | money, profit |
| glitch | an instance of imperfect functioning e.g. in a spacecraft or computer. [Origin unkn.: cf. hitch and Yiddish glitsh slippery place, glitshik elusive.] |
| golem | an artificial human endowed with life by supernatural means. [Yiddish goylem f. Heb. golem shapeless mass]. |
| gunsel | (US slang) a stupid youth; a gunman. [Yiddish genzel, dim. of goose]. |
| halavah halva halvah | a sweet dish of ground sesame seed, fruit and vegetables. |
| hamantasch | a three-cornered pastry traditionally eaten during the Jewish festival Purim > HAMENTASCHEN. |
| kibitz kibbitz | to look on and offer unsolicited, meddlesome advice. [Possibly from German Kibitz, lapwing, a type of bird noted for its shrill and raucous cry]. |
| kibitzer kibbitzer | one who looks on and offers unsolicited, meddlesome advice. |
| kishka kishke | seasoned mashed potatoes in a casing. |
| kittel | a white robe used in Jewish ceremonies. |
| klezmer | a style of music: part Jewish, part big-band > KLEZMORIM. |
| klutz | a clumsy person, an idiot. |
| knaidel kneidel | in Jewish cooking, a dumpling > KNAIDLOCH or KNAIDELS; KNEIDLACH. |
| knish | in Jewish cooking, dough with potato, meat etc. baked or fried. |
| kreplach kreplech | small dough dumplings usu. served in soup. |
| kugel | a casserole, usu. of potatoes or noodles; (verb, slang) to tease. |
| kvell | to be happy > KVELLS, KVELLING, KVELLED. |
| kvetch | to complain habitually, to gripe. |
| kvetcher | a whiner, complainer. |
| kvetchy | whiny. |
| landsman | a fellow Jew from the same town in Eastern Europe. |
| latke | a traditional Jewish pancake. |
| lokshen | noodles. |
| lox | a kind of smoked salmon. |
| luftmensch | an impractical dreamer having no definite business or income > LUFTMENSCHEN. |
| macher | an important person. |
| mamzer, momser, momzer | an illegitimate child > MAMZERS or MAMZERIM; MOMSERS; MOMZERS or MOMZERIM. |
| matzo | unleavened bread > MATZOH, MATZOT, MATZOTH. Also MATZA, MATSAH, MATZAH, with normal plurals MATZAS, MATSAHS, MATZAHS. |
| maven mavin mayvin | (US slang) an expert, a pundit. |
| mazeltov | congratulations. |
| mazuma | money, cash. |
| mensch | a person of integrity and honor > MENSCHES or MENSCHEN. |
| meshuga meshugah meshugga meshuggah meshugge | mad, crazy. |
| meshugaas mishegaas mishegoss mishugas | madness, foolishness. |
| meshuggenah meshuggeneh meshuggener | a fool, a crazy person. |
| milchig milchik | dairy. Cf. FLEISHIG, PAREVE. |
| moiser | an informer. |
| musar | Rabbinic literature concerned with ethics. |
| nachas | pride in another's accomplishments > NACHAS. |
| nebbich nebbishe nebbish nebbisher nebish | a colourless, insignificant person. |
| nosh | food; (verb) to eat. |
| nudnick nudnik | a dense, boring, or bothersome person. [From Yiddish nudyen, to bore]. |
| noodge nudzh | to nag. |
| oofy | wealthy > OOFIER, OOFIEST. |
| ooftish | money. |
| pareve parve parev | made without milk, meat or their derivatives. |
| pastrami pastromi | highly seasoned smoked beef. |
| payess | uncut sideburns worn by some Jews. |
| pisher | a small boy. |
| plotz | to explode, esp. with intense emotion. |
| putz | to waste time. |
| rebbe | a rabbi or spiritual leader of a Hasidic Jewish group. |
| rebbetzin | the wife of a rabbi. |
| rugelach ruggelach rugalach | in Jewish cooking, small crescent-shaped pastries filled with fruit, nuts etc. RUGELACH now takes S: RUGELACHS |
| schav | a cold soup of leafy vegetables. |
| schemozzle shemozzle shimozzle shlemozzle | a mess, a scrape; (verb) to make off. |
| schlemiel schlemihl shlemiel shlemiehl | an unlucky or incompetent person who is often duped. |
| schlep schlepp shlep shlepp | to carry; drag, lug; drag one's feet; travel a great distance; (noun) lazy one; unkempt person. |
| schlepper shlepper | an incompetent or nonentity. |
| schleppy | incompetent. |
| schlock schlocker | (something) of inferior quality. [Yiddish shlak, evil]. |
| schlockey | something trashy. |
| schlocky | trashy, of inferior quality. |
| schlub shlub | a stupid unattractive person. |
| schlump shlump | to flop; (noun) a stoop-shouldered person. |
| schmaltz shmaltz | fat, grease, oil; maudlin sentimentality. |
| schmaltzy schmalzy | sickly sentimental. |
| schmear | an aggregate of related things; (verb) to spread or smear. |
| schmeck shmek | a taste or sniff; heroin. |
| schmeer | to bribe. |
| schmo shmoe shmo shmoe | a stupid person. |
| schmock shmock schmuck shmuck | a pitiful, stupid or obnoxious person. |
| schmoos schmoose schmooz schmooze shmoose shmooze | to chat in a friendly way. |
| schmoozer | one who schmoozes. |
| schmoozy | gossipy. |
| schmutter schmatte shmatte | clothing, rags. |
| schnook shnook | a pathetic, timid person. |
| schnorr | to beg, esp. in such a way as to make the giver feel beholden. |
| schnorrer shnorrer | a beggar; esp one who wheedles others into supplying his wants. |
| schnoz schnozz schnozzle | the nose. |
| schtick schtik shtik shtick | a familiar line of chat adapted by a particular comedian. |
| schtook shtook shtuck schtuck | trouble, bother. |
| schtoom schtum shtoom shtum shtumm stumm | silent, dumb, quiet. |
| schul shul | a synagogoue > SCHULN (not SCHULS*); SHULN or SHULS<. |
| schvitz shvitz | to sweat. |
| schwag | cheap, poor quality merchandise. |
| shammash shammas shammes shamos | (Yiddish) the sexton in a synagogue; the candle used to light the other 8 candles of a Chanukah menorah > SHAMMOSIM or SHAMMASHIM. |
| sheitel | a wig worn by a married Jewish woman. |
| shicker shikker | (Aust. sl.) strong liquor; a drunk. |
| shidduch | an arranged marriage > SHIDDUCHIM. |
| schlimazel shlimazel | an unlucky person; one with perpetual bad luck. |
| shlumpy | slovenly. |
| shmear | to bribe > SHMEARED, SHMEARING. |
| shmeer | to bribe. |
| shtetel shtetl | formerly, a Jewish community in an Eastern European town or village > SHTETELACH or SHTETELS; SHTETLACH or SHTETLS |
| shticky | like a SHTICK > SHTICKIER, SHTICKIEST. |
| shtup schtup | to have sexual intercourse with. |
| shtreimel | a round, broad-brimmed hat edged with fur worn by some Hasidic Jews. |
| smouse | a Jew; (verb) in S. Africa, to trade as a pedlar. |
| taiglach teiglach | small, fruit- or nut-filled pastries, dipped in honey. |
| tchotchke tsatske | a knickknack, a cheap trinket. |
| tref trefa trefah treif treifa trayf treyf | forbidden as food, not kosher. |
| tsimmes tzimmes | a sweetened stew of vegetables, fruit and meat > TSIMMES, TZIMMES. |
| tsooris tsouris tsores tsoris tsuris tzuris tsorriss | grief, woe. |
| tummler | one, such as a social director or entertainer, who encourages guest or audience participation; one who incites others to action. |
| tush tushie tushy tuchis tuchus | the bottom, the buttocks. [Yiddish tokhes]. |
| vig vigorish | the percentage of a gambler's winnings taken by bookkeeper. [Prob. f. Yiddish f. Russ. vyigrysh gain, winnings.] |
| vilde | a wild animal; an uncontrolled person. |
| yahrzeit | an anniversary of the death of a family member observed by Jews. |
| yamalka yarmulka yamulka yarmelke yarmulke | a religious skullcap. |
| yenta yente | a gossipy woman, esp. one who pries. |
| yutz | a socially inept person. |
| zaftig zoftig | pleasingly plump. |
| zaida zaideh zaidy zeda | a grandfather. |