Some useful words

To enrich the vocabulary of my readers, I present here a collection of Yiddish-based words beginning with “sch”. (NB - I think at least one of these is actually not Yiddish.)

These are all taken from the New Oxford American Dictionary.

schlemiel (also shlemiel)
noun, informal: a stupid, awkward, or unlucky person.

schlepper (also shlepper)
noun, informal: an inept or stupid person.

schlimazel (also schlemazel)
noun, informal: a consistently unlucky or accident-prone person.

schlockmeister (also shlock-meister)
noun, informal: a purveyor of cheap or trashy goods.

schlub (also shlub)
noun, informal: a talentless, unattractive, or boorish person.

schlump (also shlump)
noun, informal: a slow, slovenly, or inept person.

schmo (also shmo)
noun (pl. schmoes), informal: a fool or a bore.

schmuck (also shmuck)
noun, informal: a foolish or contemptible person.

schnook (also shnook)
noun, informal: a person easily duped; a fool.

schnorrer (also shnorrer)
noun, informal: a beggar or scrounger; a layabout.

Comments 2

  1. Kane wrote:

    What about schlong?
    (vulgar) penis (from Yiddish שלאַנג shlang ’snake’; cf. German Schlange)

    Posted 18 Dec 2008 at 11:40 pm
  2. John Mansfield wrote:

    Indeed, “schlong”. How could I have overlooked the schlong?
    Thanks especially for including the actual Hebrew script in your comment, Kane. Very erudite.

    Posted 21 Dec 2008 at 1:41 pm

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *