These excerpts are from a week of Yiddish origins…

Subject A.Word.A.Day--schlock

X-Bonus: Compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only 

attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures 

and does not limit itself to mankind. 

-Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, musician, 

Nobel laureate (1875-1965)

schlock (shlok) adjective

   Cheap, inferior, or shoddy.

noun

  Something that is of inferior quality; junk.

[From Yiddish shlak (evil, nuisance).]

  "Some may feel that celebrity boxing is a repugnant modern phenomenon,

   a sign that a new wave of schlock culture is rolling over us as Jimmy

   Ormond's midriff does his waistband. Nothing could be further from the

   truth. US celebrities have a noble and vigorous tradition of hitting

   one another." Harry Pearson; Float Like a Butterdish, Sting Like a 

   Beetroot;  The Guardian (London, UK); Mar 12, 2002.

  "Media Watch presenter Paul Barry says far too much current affairs TV

   is just schlock and garbage."

   Sian Powell; Flight From Quality; The Australian (Sydney, Australia);

   Nov 23, 2000.

Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, is reported to have said,

"I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men and German to my

horse." One wonders how he would have completed, "and Yiddish to..."

A language full of wit and charm, Yiddish embodies deep appreciation of

human behavior in all its colorful manifestations. This week we'll look at

a few Yiddishisms that have enriched the English language. Add these words

from Yiddish to bring a little tang to your conversation.

-Anu Garg

 anu@wordsmith.org

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Date: Tue Feb 10 00:23:15 EST 2004

Subject: A.Word.A.Day--nudnik

X-Bonus: Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could;

Some blunders and absurdities crept in; Forget them as soon as you can. 

Tomorrow is a new day; You shall begin it serenely and with too high a 

spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

nudnik (NOOD-nik) noun

   A boring pest.

[From Yiddish nudyen (to bore), from Polish nudzic + -nik (suffix

denoting a person associated with a particular quality, group, etc.]

  "(John) Kerry's freefall is so pronounced ... that even Dana Milbank,

   the Washington Post nudnik who specializes in needling President Bush

   on the most picayune details, has tossed Kerry overboard."

   Russ Smith; Kerry's Last Stand; New York Press; Dec 9, 2003.

  "Alfred E. Neuman, the magazine's red-haired, freckle-faced, dentally

   challenged mascot, is famous for saying, 'What, me worry?' Alfred,

   the nudnik who has campaigned for U.S. president since 1956, should

   be worried."

   Tom Hawthorn; 'What, me advertise?': Mad Magazine Has a Legacy of

   Tweaking the Establishment; Vancouver Sun (Canada); Apr 17, 2001.

This week's theme: words borrowed from Yiddish.

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Date: Wed Feb 11 00:08:08 EST 2004

Subject: A.Word.A.Day--kvell

X-Bonus: In a democracy dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, 

the test of its value is not in its taste, but in its effects. 

-J. William Fulbright, US Senator (1905-1995)

kvell (kvel) verb intr.

   To feel proud; to beam; to gloat.

[From Yiddish kveln, from German quellen (to gush, to well up).]

  "However, Chet landed happily at NECN, where he is admired and coddled by

   management ... who can't kvell enough about Chet."

   Monica Collins; 'Dog Days' a Sunny Walk in the Park; Boston Herald;

   Oct 20, 2002.

  "His tone dared me not to celebrate, dared me not to kvell ..."

   Mimi Harrison; Das Kapital; The Washington Post; Mar 12, 2000.

This week's theme: words borrowed from Yiddish.

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Date: Thu Feb 12 00:02:08 EST 2004

Subject: A.Word.A.Day--schmaltz