#UsefulYiddishPhrases

Because it popped into my head earlier:
גויישע קאָפּ
Goyishe Kop (Kup)
Literally: Gentile head
Less literally, A very non-Jewish way of thinking; a mainly white Christian way of looking at things that make you say WTF.

#Yiddish

#UsefulYiddishPhrases
A recent exchange here has reminded me that I’ve been neglecting this hashtag. I started it right after I signed up and didn’t get how the tags work. So here’s one that’s not at all useful.

from Words Like Arrows compiled by Shirley Kumove.
מען זאָגט אָרעמעלײַט ווײַל די רײַכע זײַנען נאָר לײַט ניט.
Men zogt oremelayt vayl di raykhe zaynen nor layt nit.
Book translation: One says ‘poor people’ because the rich aren’t even people.

#Yiddish, obviously feel free to add to it.

This Proto screwdriver has been on my keychain most of my adult life. My father gave it to me, and it may have come from his father. I rarely use it as a screwdriver any more, but it's endlessly useful as a pry tool and for splitting open the tape on shipping boxes. I use it multiple times a week.

#tools #antiqueTools #dailycarry #heirlooms #UsefulYiddishPhrases

#UsefulYiddishPhrases

אַ שאַנדע פאַר די גויים.
A shande far di goyim.
A disgrace for the gentiles.

Maybe not so useful, but perhaps good to know.
This is for when a fellow Jew does something despicable, and sets a bad example that some antisemite types might claim is typical behavior. Bernie Madoff, Harvey Weinstein, and Jeffrey Epstein (may their names be erased) are prime examples.

Several years ago I heard an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air with someone whom I can’t remember (dadgummit) who said there’s second part to it which translates as “and wipe your tuches (ass) in the waves!” (double dadgummit, I don’t know the Yiddish for it.)

#UsefulYiddishPhrases

#UsefulYiddishPhrases
For something lighter.

גיי קאַקן אַפן יאַם!
Gey kakn afn yam!
Go shit on the ocean!
In his book Born To Kvetch, Michael Wex points out that this says ‘on’, not ‘in’. He says this is because, not only is the phrase a classic tell off, but also a mildly anti-Xtian jab. As in “You think you’re so special, you can walk on water like Yoshke!” continued👇