Yiddish Page 5

M
•Machareikeh - Gimmick, contraption
•Macher - big shot, person with access to authorities, man with contacts.
•Machshaifeh - Witch
•Maidel - Unmarried girl, teenager
•Maideleh - Little girl (affectionate term)
•Maiven - Expert, connoisseur, authority
•Maisse - A story
•Maisse mit a deitch - A story with a (moral) twist
•Makeh - Plague, wound, boil, curse
•Mamoshes - Substance, people of substance.
•Mamzer - Bastard, disliked person, untrustworthy
•Mamzerook - A naughty little boy
•Mashgiach - Inspector, overseer or supervisor of Kashruth in restaurants & hotels.
•Mashugga - Crazy
•Matkes - Underpants
•Maynster - Mechanic, repairman, workshop proprietor
•Mayster - Master craftsman, champion,
•Mazel Tov - Good Luck (lit) Generally used to convey "congratulations".
•Me ken brechen! - You can vomit from this!
•Me ken lecken di finger! - It's delicious!
•Me krechts, me geht veyter - I complain and I keep going.
•Me lost nit leben! - They don't let you live!
•Me redt zich oys dos hartz! - Talk your heart out!
•Mechuten - In-Law
•Mechutonim - In-Laws (The parents of your child's spouse)
•Mechutainista - Mother-In-Law
•Megillah - A long story
•Mein bobbeh's ta'am - Bad taste! Old fashioned taste!
•Mein cheies gait oys! - I'm dying for it!
•Mekheye - An extreme pleasure, orgasmic, out of this world wonderful!
•Mekler - Go-between
•Menner vash tsimmer - Men's room
•Mentsh - A special man or person. One who can be respected.
•Meshpokha - Extended family
•Meshugass - Madness, insanity, craze
•Meshugeh - Crazy
•Meshugeh ahf toit! - Crazy as a loon. Really crazy!
•Meshugeneh - Mad, crazy, insane female.
•Meshugener - Mad, crazy, insane man
•Meshugoyim - Crazy people
•Messer - Knife
•Me zogt - They say; it is said.
•Mezuzah - Tiny box affixed to the right side of the doorway of Jewish homes containing a small portion of Deuteronomy, handwritten on parchment.
•Mies - Ugly
•Mieskeit - Ugly thing or person.
•Mikveh - Ritual bath used by women just prior to marriage as well as after each monthly cycle. This represents a "spiritual cleansing after a potential to create a new life was not actualized. There are some religious men who also use mikvehs prior to festivals and the Sabbath. Some Chassidim immerse every morning before praying.
•Min tor nit - One (or you) mustn't
•Minyan - Quorum of ten men necessary for holding public worship (must be over 13 years of age)
•Mirtsishem - G-d willing
•Mitn derinnen - All of a sudden, suddenly
•Mitn grobn finger - Quibbling, stretching a point
•Mitzvah - Good deed
•Mizinik - The youngest child in an immediate family
•Mogen Dovid - Star of David
•Moisheh kapoyer - Mr. Upside-Down! A person who does everything backwards. Not knowing what one wants.
•Mosser - Squealer
•Moyel - Person (usually a rabbi) who performs circumcisions.
•Mutek - Brave
•Mutshen zich - To sweat out a job
•Muttelmessig - Meddlesome person, kibbitzer
N
•N'vayle - Shroud; inept person
•Na! - Here! Take it. There you have it.
•Naches - Joy: Gratification, especially from children.
•Nacht falt tsu. - Night is falling; twilight
•Nadan - Dowry
•Nafkeh - Prostitute
•Nafkeh bay-is - Whorehouse
•Naidlechech - Rare thing

•Nar - Fool
•Nar ainer! - You fool, you!
•Narish - Foolish
•Narishkeit - Foolishness
•Narvez - Nervous
•Nebach - It's a pity. Unlucky, pitiable person.
•Nebbish - A nobody, simpleton, weakling, awkward person
•Nebechel - Nothing, a pitiful person; or playing role of being one
•(A) Nechtiker tog! - He's (it's) gone! Forget it! Nonsense! (Lit., a yesterday's day)
•Nechuma - Consolation
•Nechvenin - To masturbate
•Nem zich a vaneh! - Go take a bath! Go jump in the lake!
•Neshomeh - Soul, spirit
•Neshomeleh - Sweetheart, sweet soul
•Nisht geshtoygen, nisht gefloygen - neither here nor there
•Nifter-shmifter, a leben macht er? - What difference does it make as long as he makes a living? (Lit., nifter means deceased.)
•Nishkosheh - Not so bad, satisfactory. (This has nothing to do with the word "kosher", but comes from the Hebrew and means "hard, heavy," thus "not bad."
•Nisht araynton keyn finger in kalt vaser - Loaf, not do a thing, be completely inactive
•Nisht fur dich gedacht! - It shouldn't happen! G-d forbid! (Lit., May we be saved from it! [sad event] )
•Nishtgedeiget - Don't worry; doesn't worry
•Nisht geferlech - Not so bad, not too shabby (Lit. not dangerous.)
•Nishtkefelecht - No big deal!
•Nisht gefloygen, nisht getoygen - It doesn't matter
•Nisht gefonfit! - Don't hedge. Don't fool around. Don't double-talk.
•Nisht getoygen, nisht gefloygen - It doesn't fly, it doesn't fit
•Nisht getrofen! - So I guessed wrong!
•Nisht gut - Not good, lousy
•Nisht naitik - Not necessary
•Nishtgutnick - No-good person
•Nishtikeit! - A nobody!
•Nishtu gedacht! - It shouldn't happen! G-d forbid!
•Nit kain farshloffener - A lively person
•Nit ahin, nit aher - Neither here nor there
•Nit gidacht! - It shouldn't happen! (Same as nishtu gedacht)
•Nit gidacht gevorn. - It shouldn't come to pass.
•Nit kosher - Impure food. Also, slang, anything not good
•Nit heint, nit morgen! - Not today, not tomorrow!
•Nito farvos! - You're welcome!
•Nitsn - To use
•Noch a mool - One more time
•Noch nisht - Not yet
•Nochshlepper - Hanger-on, unwanted follower
•Nor Got vaist - Only G-d knows.
•Nosh - Snack
•Nosherie - Snack food
•Nu? - So? Well?
•Nu, dahf men huben kinder? - Does one have children? (When a child does something bad)
•Nu, shoyn! - Move, already! Hurry up! Let's go! Aren't you finished?
•Nudnik - Pesty nagger, nuisance, a bore, obnoxious person
•Nudje - Annoying person, badgerer (Americanism)
•Nudjen - Badger, annoy persistently
O
•Ober yetzt? - So now? (Yetzt is also spelled itzt)
•Obtshepen - Get rid of
•Och un vai! - Alas and alack: woe be to it!
•Oder a klop, oder a fortz (taboo) - Either too much or not enough (Lit., either a wallop or a fart)
•Oder gor oder gornisht - All or nothing
•Ohmain - Amen
•Oi!! - Yiddish exclamation to denote disgust, pain, astonishment or rapture
•Oi, a shkandal! - Oh, what a scandal!
•Oi, gevald - Cry of anguish, suffering, frustration or for help
•Oi, Vai! - Dear me! Expression of dismay or hurt
•Oi vai iz mir! - Woe is me!
•Oif tsalooches - For spite
•Oisgeshtrobelt! - Overdressed woman.
•Oisgeshtrozelt - Decorated (beautiful)
•Oisgevapt - Flat (as in "the fizz has gone out of it.)
•Ois-shteler - Braggart
•Oiver botel - Absentminded: getting senile
•Okurat - That's right! Ok! Absolutely! (Sarcastically: Ya' sure!) Okuratner mentsh - Orderly person
•Olreitnik! - Nouveau riche!
•On langeh hakdomes! - Cut it short! (Lit., without long introductions.)
•Ongeblozzen - Conceited: peevish, sulky, pouting
•Ongeblozzener - Stuffed shirt
•Ongematert - Tired out
•Ongepatshket - Cluttered, disordered, scribbled, sloppy, muddled, overly-done
•Ongeshtopt - Very wealthy
•Ongeshtopt mit gelt - Very wealthy; (Lit., stuffed with money)
•Ongetrunken - Drunk
•Ongetshepter - Bothersome hanger-on
•Ongevarfen - Cluttered, disordered
•Onshikenish - Hanger-on
•Onshikenish - Pesty nagger
•Onzaltsen - Giving you the business; bribe; soft-soap; sweet-talk (Lit., to salt)
•Opgeflickt! - Done in! Suckered! Milked!
•Opgehitener - Pious person
•Opgekrochen - Shoddy
•Opgekrocheneh schoireh - Shoddy merchandise
•Opgelozen(er) - Careless dresser
•Opgenart - Cheated, fooled
•Opnarer - Trickster, shady operator
•Opnarerei - Deception
•Orehman - Poor man, without means
•Oremkeit - Poverty
•Ot azaih - That's how, just like that
•Ot kimm ich - Here I come!
•Ot gaist du - There you go (again)
•Oy mi nisht gut gevorn - "Oh my, I'm growing weary."
•Oy vey tsu meina baina - Woe is me (down to my toes)
•Oybershter in himmel - G-d in heaven
•Oych a bashefenish - Also a V.I.P.! A big person! (said derogatorily, sarcastically, or in pity)
•Oych mir a leben! - This too is a living! This you call a living?
•Oyfen himmel a yarid! - Much ado about nothing! Impossible! (Lit., In heaven there's a big fair!)
•Oyfgekumener - Come upper, upstart
•Oyfn oyg - Roughly, approximately
•Oyg oyf oyg - In private, face-to-face
•Oys shiddech - The marriage is off!
•Oysznoygn fun finger - Concoct, invent (a story)
•Oysergeveynlekh - Unusual (sometimes used as "great.")
•Oysgedart - Skinny, emaciated
•Oysgehorevet - Exhausted
•Oysgematert - Tired out, worn out
•Oysgemutshet - Worked to death, tired out
•Oysgeposhet - "Well grazed," in the sense of being fat.
•Oysgeputst - Dressed up, overdressed; over decorated
•Oysgeshprait - Spread out
•Oysvurf - Outcast, bad person