By Philologos
‘Fuhgeddaboudit’ certainly originated in New York, and most probably in Brooklyn’s criminal underbelly. Philologos delves deep into the underworld annals to get to its roots.
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By Philologos
Is it possible that neither Yiddish nor Hebrew had words for ‘cynical’ or ‘sarcastic’? Maybe, but we needn’t make assumptions about cultures by the words they seem to lack.
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By Philologos
Some Jews cut a boy’s hair for the first time when he turns 3. There is more to the ceremony of the
opsherenish than meets the scissors.
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By Philologos
We all know what a nebbish is. But it takes Philologos to track down its roots in
nebekh, a Yiddish word with many, many meanings.
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By Philologos
One of our readers would like to know the origins of the word
nebekh. He’ll have to complete a crash course in the lively art of Yiddish abbreviation first.
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By Philologos
There are many words for idiot. But few have the same ring as ‘schmuck.’ We offer a look at the word through the lens of Yiddish — and pop culture.
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By Philologos
The word ‘punim’ has worked its way into the Yinglish lexicon. But you’ll still need plenty of chutzpah to try and use it as a Scrabble word.
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By Philologos
Shhh
Daber nisht! The phrase, which is a mix of Hebrew and Yiddish, was one of a few used by Jews in Europe to keep gentiles from listening to their conversations.
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By Philologos
An old Yiddish prayer book created only for women is experiencing a revival of interest, especially in ultra-Orthodox ciricles. Philologos explains why.
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By Philologos
Philologos examines how odd it would be for an ultra-Orthodox Jew to read the Muslim holy book in a tongue so inextricably linked to Judaism.
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Reconsider Decision on Rabbis and Intermarriage
Is Steven Hawking’s Decision To Boycott Israel a Boon to BDS?
Alas, Poor GOP: 3 D.C. Scandals That Weren't
Forced Out by Nazis, Grandmother Returns With Family to German Hometown 
Cigarette Smugglers Tied to Notorious Jewish Murder on Brooklyn Bridge 
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