A public aplogy to Arcady

[Poster Bard]

takes a strong man to admit when he's wrong. Most cultures do have mechanisms for apologies.

Most?

 

[Galfridus]

In Jewish parlance, from which the term migrated into the New York vernacular, the term signifies much more than "Human". It has connotations of approbation, specifically honor, integrity, and intestinal fortitude.

In other words, "What a guy!"

That would be Yiddish, an actual language derived mostly from German which is found in NYC as well as other places, and has given many loan-words to English ("schmuck", for example).

 

[Vaxalon]

Yes, of course. I used the term I believed would be more widely understood, but to be technically accurate you are correct.

 

[Pielorinho]

Yiddish is, incidentally, the True Language of the universe, as evidenced by the fact that every Yiddish word sounds exactly like what it means.

Do you really need someone to define the following words for you, or can you tell what they mean just by their sound?
Schmuck
Klutz
Schmaltzy
Oy vey
Chutzpah

(Credit to Spider for the Yiddish as True Language theory)

Daniel

 

[Henry]

Of course, don't forget:

• Kvetching (same as "bitching")
• Schlepping (moving in a clumsy fashion - my favorite was the TDWS moving company - "Two dudes who schlep.")
• Skeevatz (disgusting, I believe?)

Ah, Low German...

 

[V-2]

1,000,000 xp AND a Bag of Everlasting Mazze (sp?) to those who can explain to me the difference between a Schlemihl and a Nebbich. I just don't get it. Even though I used to have a Jewish gf.

 

[BenBrown]

I think a schlemiel has more connotations of being unfortunate, rather than merely ineffectual.