So here’s the thing; you don’t have to know Yiddish to have a Yiddish Kitchen, but word on the street is if you can pronounce CHUTZPAH with the proper guttural “CH”, your matzo balls can fool even the most frum bubbe and her tribe. Need help with your pronunciation? Just clear your throat of the residual bagel and lox you just ate, and you are well on your way. Now you are ready to conquer Jewish cooking like the maven you were born to be.
Baleboste: A good homemaker, a woman who’s in charge of her home and will make sure you remember it. Ex. She’s the kind of baleboste who makes grain-free bagels from Yiddish Kitchen.
Bisl: Or bissel—a little bit. Ex. I need a bisl of food to tide me over, before I plotz.
Bubbe: Or bobe. It means grandmother. Ex. My bubbe’s matzo ball soup will leave you dreaming about it for days!
Bubula: An endearing term used for grandchildren or friends.
Chazer: Pig or slob. Ex. Can you believe how much babka Morty ate? What a chazer!
Chutzpah: Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In English, chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but, among Yiddish speakers, it is not a compliment. Ex. What chutzpah those two had to make matzo without wheat flour!
Dreck: Trash, rubbish. Ex. You think I should eat this garbage?! This is dreck—I’ll stick with the recipes from The New Yiddish Kitchen.
Frum: Religiously observant. Ex. You know that Esther, if he was more frum he’d be seen at shul on more than just Yom Kippur!
Geshmak: Delicious, tasty or delightful if referring to a person Ex. All of the recipes I’ve made from The New Yiddish Kitchen have been geshmak!
Glitch: Or glitsh. Literally slip, skate or nosedive. Ex. There was a glitch in the system but good ol’ Moishe ironed it out!
Goy: A non-Jew, a Gentile. As in Hebrew, one Gentile is a goy, many Gentiles are goyim. The non-Jewish world in general is “the goyim.” Ex. Think Yiddish Kitchen is just for the Jews?! Nonsense! Even the goyim love it!
Klutz: Or better yet, klots. Literally means “a block of wood,” so it’s often used for a dense, clumsy or awkward person. Ex. Pick up your feet, you klutz!
Kosher: Something that’s acceptable to Orthodox Jews, especially food. Ex. Did you see Chaya leaning into that man at the market? That’s sure not kosher!
Kvetch: In popular English, kvetch means complain, whine or fret. Ex. Quit your kvetching and do something about it already!
Maven: Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically. Ex. A real maven that one is—knows everything about everything!
Mazel Tov: Literally good luck (well, literally, good constellation), but it’s a congratulation for what just happened, not a hopeful wish for what might happen in the future. Ex. Mazel tov, Gitl, many wishes for a bright future together!
Mentsh: An honorable, decent person, an authentic person, a person who helps you when you need help. Can be a man, woman or child. Ex. What a mentsh, that guy, donating his time and money for anyone in need!
Meshuga: Insanity or craziness. Ex: You must be meshuga if you think I am gonna stand for that!
Mishpocheh: Or mishpokhe or mishpucha. Family. Ex. The whole mishpocheh will be there, better prepare yourself!
Nosh: To nibble a light snack. Ex. I just need to nosh on something so I don’t plotz!
Oy Gevalt: An expression conveying dismay or like “oh how awful.” Ex. Oy gevalt, are you kidding me?! He is way too young for a girlfriend!
Oy Vey: Exclamation of dismay, grief or exasperation. Ex. Oy vey, did you see her skirt? If it got any shorter I could see her collar bones!
Plotz: Literally, to explode, as in aggravation. Ex. Don’t plotz! I’ve got another batch of latkes coming out of the oil in just a minute!
Schlock: Cheap, shoddy, or inferior Ex. What a schlocky gift! The arms fell off of that doll before the wrapping paper came off.
Schmaltzy: Excessively sentimental, gushing, flattering, over-the-top, corny. From shmaltz, which means chicken fat or grease. Ex. That love story was cute I guess, but really a little too schmaltzy for my taste!
Schmooze: Chat, make small talk, converse about nothing in particular. Ex. You wanna get that job? Better start schmoozing now!
Schmuck: A derogatory term for a foolish or contemptible person, but you shouldn’t use it in polite company, since it refers to male anatomy. Ex. After all she does for him, he forgot their anniversary. What a schmuck!
Schvitz: To sweat. Ex. Oy gevalt, this humidity! I’m schvitzing like a chazer!
Shalom: A greeting that means “deep peace.” Ex. Shalom, my friend, I hope you are doing well.
Shayna Punim: Pretty face. Ex. She’s not just another shayna punim, that one’s got class and smarts too!
Shikse: A non-Jewish woman, all too often used derogatorily. Ex. Can you believe he married that shikse? Let’s see how long THAT lasts.
Shlemiel: A clumsy, inept person, similar to a klutz (also a Yiddish word). Ex. That schlemiel couldn’t fox-trot to save his life!
Shlep: To drag, traditionally something you don’t really need; to carry unwillingly. Ex. You better pack a light bag, because I am not gonna be the one to shlep it from here to tomorrow!
Shlimazel: Someone with constant bad luck. Ex. That poor shlimazel can’t seem to catch a break!
Shmutz: Or shmuts. Dirt—a little dirt, not serious grime. Ex. You got a little schmutz on your dress, go clean that up!
Shtick: Something you’re known for doing, an entertainer’s routine, an actor’s bit, stage business; a gimmick often done to draw attention to yourself. Ex. His humor is sort of offensive but that’s his schtick!
Spiel: A long, involved sales pitch. Ex. Oy, if I had to listen to much more of that spiel I was gonna kick him in the shins!
Tchotchke: Knick-knack, little toy, collectible or giftware. Ex. If she buys one more tchotchke, I am gonna schlep them to the dumpster!
Tsuris: Serious troubles, not minor annoyances. Ex. Like the plagues of Passover, now, those were tsuris!!!
Tuches: Rear end, bottom, backside, buttocks. Ex. Oy vey! What a pain in the tuches that one is!
Yenta: Female busybody or gossip. At one time, high-class parents gave this name to their girls (after all, it has the same root as “gentle”), but it gained the Yiddish meaning of “she-devil.” Ex. Don’t be such a yenta, mind your own business!
Yiddisher Kop: Smart person. Literally means “Jewish head.” Ex. Be a yiddisher kop and make a batch of blintzes already!