Skip To Content
logo/forward/small
Get our NewslettersShop our Store
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.

Support the Forward

Funded by readers like you DonateSubscribe
Culture

Here Are the Top 10 New Yiddish Words

Image by Anya Ulinich

here-are-the-top-10-new-yiddish-words

By Rukhl Schaechter July 25, 2016

The Comprehensive English-Yiddish Dictionary, edited by Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath and Paul Glasser, is full not only of familiar words but a smattering of new ones as well. We picked our top ten favorite Yiddish neologisms.

Designated Driver = der nikhterer shofer

Hate Crime = der sine-farbrekhn

Printer = der opdruker

Flip-Flops = fingershikh

Related

Jabbing Pain = der shtekhiker veytik

Highlighter = der tekst-markirer

Baby Food = dos eyfl-esn

Volleyball = netsbol

Suicide Note = dos gezegn-brivl

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder = di travme-krenk

Rukhl Schaechter is the editor of the Yiddish Forward (Forverts) and also produces and stars in the YouTube series, “Yiddish Word of the Day”.

Dive In

    Explore

    Most Popular

    In Case You Missed It

    Engage

    • SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK

    • UPCOMING EVENT

      SKY & SCULPTURE

      Hybrid: Online and at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan

      Oct 2, 2022

      6:30 pm ET · 

      A Sukkah, IMKHA, created by artist Tobi Kahn, for the Marlene Meyerson JCC of Manhattan is an installation consisting of 13 interrelated sculpted painted wooden panels, constituting a single work of art. Join for a panel discussion with Rabbi Joanna Samuels, Chief Executive Director of the Marlene Meyerson JCC of Manhattan, Talya Zax, Innovation Editor of the Forward, and Tobi Kahn, Artist. Moderated by Mattie Kahn.

      Details Register Now

    Republish This Story

    Please read before republishing

    We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

    To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

    Here Are the Top 10 New Yiddish Words

    Copied to clipboard

    We don't support Internet Explorer

    Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.