pogrom pō′grəm, nounAn organized persecution, purgative attack, or extinction of an ethnic group, especially of Jews ( Read more... )

To kibitz (or kibbitz) is to chat or make small talk, or to offer unwanted advice or commentary to someone engaged in an activity, especially a game. It comes from the Yiddish kibitsen, which has its origins in the German kibitschen, meaning to search a prisoner or to inspect something, and is pronounced like KIB-its, or kɪbɪts in the IPA.

Apologies for my absence these past weeks, was utterly swamped at work, but I'm back with extra words to make up the difference!

a·bu·gi·da [ˌɑːbuːˈɡiːdə]:
origin: (1864) Ethiopian; from Ge'ez (a-bu-gi-da), the first four structures in the language, borrowed from the Greek idea of alpha-beta for alphabet.

nounWe tend to think in terms of our own ( Read more... )

pu·rim [ˈpʊərɪm]:
origin: (1535) Hebrew; pūrīm= "lots"; the casting of dice by Haman to schedule the massacre date {Esth 9:24-26}

nounLong ago and far away there was a man named Mordecai, who was cousin and foster parent to the fair & just Queen Ester. Mordecai was Jewish, as is the queen (secretly), but Hamman the Prime Minister of the King ( Read more... )

mi·she·goss (mish·e·gaas or mish·e·goss) [məʃug'ɔs]:
origin: Yiddish meshegas, from Hebrew משוגע (meshuge)

noun
Madness, behavior without logic, foolishness

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dor·cas (ˈspīk-kûr-ˈpüpˈpen):
origin: (1553) Greek, Dorkas; translated from Aramaic, Tabitha (meaning "gazelle")

nounMany a moon ago, I was introduced to a young Asian woman with this ( Read more... )

schle•miel or shle•miel (ʃləˈmiːl):
origin: (1890-95) Yiddish; shlemil, Hebrew shəlumī'ēl= Shelumiel, a Biblical figure.

noun
A foolish person who always seems to louse things up.

shli·ma·zel or schli·ma·zel (ʃlɪˈmɑ zəl):
origin: (1945-50) Yiddish; shlim= bad (Middle High German slimp= wrong) + mazl= luck

nounA person seemingly cursed with bad ( Read more... )

Ish Ka·bib·ble (ˈɪʃˌkəbɪbəl):
origin: derived from a mock-Yiddish expression, Isch ga bibble? in a song, said to mean "I should worry?"

noun {proper}
1. a comedian and cornet player, born Merwyn Bogue (1908-1993) with an active career in music, movies, and television projecting a simpleton's perspona.
→ influential upon: Moe (Three Stooges), Jim ( Read more... )

shemozzle (sheh-MAWZ-l) - n., a noisy confusion or dispute, muddle, uproar ( Read more... )