Word origins

• meshuggenercrazy, insane
• mieskeitAn ugly person.
• milchigDairy, containing anything derived from milk.
• mishegossMadness; silliness.
• misnagedAn opponent of Hasidism.
• motzaA lot of money.
• narishfoolish, silly
• narishkeitfoolishness
• nudnikA person who is very annoying; a pest, a nag, a jerk.
• nudzhA whiner; a complainer.
• oy gevaltoh my God
• oy veyoh dear
• pashkevilA poster put up in an Orthodox Jewish community, especially a Haredi enclave, to advise on correct behaviour.
• paskenTo rule, decide, opine.
• pesadikPermissible to eat on Passover.
• PonevezhYiddish form of Panevėžys (A city in Lithuania).
• possulInvalid for ceremonial or official purposes.
• potchkyto work in an amateur fashion for little gain
• PoylishA dialect of Yiddish spoken in Poland, Galicia, and Hungary.
• p'tchaCalves'-foot jelly, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish.
• punimThe face (front part of the head).
• Purim spielA (usually comic) theatrical reenactment of the book of Esther.
• pushkeA small coin receptacle for charitable donations.
• rachmonesMercy, compassion, pity.
• rugelachA type of Jewish pastry, which may be filled with various fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc.
• SatmarerA member of the Satmar movement.
• schlemielA loser or a fool.
• schlimazelA chronically unlucky person.
• schlumpSomeone who is lazy, slovenly, or dull-looking.
• schm-Used to form a reduplicated rhyming compound of any word in order to express disparagement, dismissal, or derision.
• schmearA spread that goes on a bagel.
• schmeckleA penis.
• schnookA person who is easily taken advantage of.
• schnorrerbeggar
• schnozzNose.
• schnozzleThe human nose, especially one that is large.
• schtickleA bit, morsel.
• seichelwit, sense, gumption
• shadchenmarriage broker, matchmaker
• SheinbaumA surname from Yiddish.
• sheitelA wig worn by married Orthodox Jewish women.
• shemozzleA state of chaos or confusion.
• shickerDrunk, drunkard.
• shidduchA system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to each other.
• shkoyachgood job
• ShloimeA male given name of Ashkenazi Jewish usage, variant of Shlomo and Solomon (and sometimes used as a diminutive of these).
• shmatteA rag.
• shnorTo beg or wheedle.
• shomer shabbosobservant of the laws of Shabbat.
• shpilkesA state of impatience, agitation, or anxiety.
• shpitzelA partial wig that reveals the wearer's hair only at the front, worn by some married Hasidic women.
• shtamto stem, to originate, to come from
• shtaygerA scale in Ashkenazi liturgical music.
• shtiebelA small, informal synagogue or shul.
• shtinkercollaborator; traitor; informer
• shtumSilent; speechless; dumb.
• shuckleTo sway back and forth during Jewish prayer.
• shvitzSweat.
• spodikA tall hat made of black fur, traditionally worn by Hassidic Polish Jews.
• stiracontradiction, oxymoron
• SutskeverA surname from Yiddish
• SuvalkSuwałki
• tchotchkeA small ornament of minor value; a knick-knack, a trinket.
• teiglachSmall knotted pastries boiled in a honeyed syrup, a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish treat.
• tichelA headscarf often worn by married orthodox Jewish women in compliance with the code of modesty known as tzniut, though individuals from other sects of Judaism also wear them depending on personal choice.
• treyfNot kosher.
• tsurisProblems or troubles.
• tuchusThe buttocks, rear end, butt.
• tummlerAn employee, usually male, of a Borscht Belt resort charged with the duty of entertaining guests throughout the day by providing any number of services, from comedian to master of ceremonies.
• tzimmesA stew of fruit or vegetables traditionally served on Rosh Hashanah.
• vach nachtThe night before brit milah.
• veeblefetzerAn unspecified object; a thingy or doodad.
• VellishThe most common typeface for printed Hebrew, and the Sephardi Stam script from which the typeface is derived.
• verkakteshitty, crappy
• verklemptOvercome with emotion, choked up.
• Vilna GaonEliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, a Jewish polymath from Vilnius renowned for his erudition and one of the most influential opponents of the developing Hasidic movement.
• vonceMarijuana; cannabis, especially used as a drug.
• yasher koachgood job!, well done!
• YekkishRelating to the Yekkes
• yene veltThe world to come, hereafter
• yichusnoble origins; pedigree
• YiddishkeitJewishness; the Jewish way of life, particularly Ashkenazi and Yiddish culture.
• yimakh shemoTraditional curse, appended to the names of infamous enemies of the Jewish people: May his name be erased.
• yotzeihaving fulfilled the requirements of a mitzvah
• zaydegrandfather
• zetzA punch; a blow.
• ZilberschlagA surname from Yiddish