Yiddish has permeated our culture, probably due to the over-representation of Jews in the Entertainment industry. Almost all Americans know the basic meaning of schmuck, chutzpah, oy vey, etc.
But there are English words that I always thought were Yiddish. They sound Yiddish. They should be Yiddish. But they’re not.
Here’s my starter collection, please leave comments with yours…
Spatula – Always pronounced by everyone I know as spatch-uh-luh. Look at the shaynah maydelah mit ein spatula.
Tumult – Tell me this shouldn’t be Yiddish! Such a tumult he’s making
Finagle – This one really must be Yiddish. The dictionary says no, but tell that to Finagle A Bagel
Smush – What kind of English word is this?
I’ll add more as I run into them.
PS: I think Amazon is missing out on a bet… for Chanukah they should have the Macabeats singing “Shaynala Kindel-ah”