The Squeeze

[mamas_minion]

As Arnold looked over his cards at the men he was playing with, a wry smile crossed his lips.  He couldn’t help it. These protégés of his were turning out to be great success stories.  He was going to be handing over his bootlegging business to Irving and Meyer to run, while Charlie, Frank and Lepke were busy with trying to organize a nationwide

Comments

[halfshellvenus]

I think "kibitzing" might have been the word you were looking for, instead of 'kibbutzing.' Unless the men are forming a commune in that back room or something. :O

The character voice in this is terrific, almost as if you have a Jewish uncle in the family you've listened to for years.

You know, I wasn't expecting actual historical figures here in addition to the Black Sox aspect. Nicely done!

[mamas_minion]

You are probably right on that I was just using words I have heard used before. While brain storming with my house mate the idea of the black sox scandal came up and I felt I needed to run with it.

[karmasoup]

It's my fault there's a typo. He doesn't have a Jewish uncle, he has a housemate who grew up on the East Coast. I'm sure I probably said it wrong when I was suggesting it.

(<<< not Jewish!)

Kibbitzing and Kibbutzing are easily confused for me, as they are related. I know if you do a quick Google search, the binary monkeys will to tell you that Kibbitzing is idle chatter/gossip, and Kibbutzing is a collective Jewish community.

The Yiddish Handbook, however, gives the best summary of how I constantly cross my wires on this one:

kibbitz
In Yiddish, it’s related to the Hebrew “kibbutz” or “collective.” But it can also mean verbal joking, which, after all, is a collective activity. It didn’t originally mean giving unwanted advice about someone else’s game - that’s an American innovation.

So, because we don't have enough languages being thrown around in here (did you catch the cajun and the Italian?), I will also add,

mea culpa!

[halfshellvenus]

I caught the Italian, but not the Cajun!

I can see how those words would be related, really. I really enjoy Yiddish-- it's not only really expressive, but there are so many words for entire concepts that English lacks. "Loser" does not begin to cover schlemiel or schlemazel, or the fact that there's a distinction between the two. :D

[karmasoup]

I know, right? What I find amazing is how much Yiddish has inconspicuously so ingrained itself into the common vernacular of pop culture that many people might not even think of it as originating from another language. I mean, the term "glitch," for example, has become so synonymous with information/technology and the world of the computer geek, that most folks probably don't even remember it originated with the Jews. And there are plenty of others like that!

But whenever you say schlemiel or schlemazel, of course, all I can think is Laverne & Shirley.

(The cajun, btw, is shebang)