Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.106 January 10, 1999 1) "eysekh" (Berish Goldstein) 2) nitl (Avrum-Yankev Amkraut) 3) zidlung (Shalom Endleman) 4) zidlung, etc. (Jack Engelhardt) 5) zidlung, etc. (Wolf Krakowski) 6) zidlung, etc. (Irv Young) 7) Idiom needed (Morrie Feller) 8) donats and pontshkes (Khayim Volfe) 9) Laaz language (Keyle Goodman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1998 17:43:47 -0500 (EST) From: Barry Goldstein Subject: "eysekh" Twice, or more, in Boris Sandler's story "bank-kvetshers" (in _toyern_), a character uses as an interjection the word "eysekh" (shtumer-alef, tsvey yudn, samekh, ayen, lange khof), a word not in my Weinreich, nor Harkavy. And a word that I remember my mother and especially her mother use (their Yiddish was from the Ukraine). Is this possibly related to "veys ikh!?" or "veys ikh vos!?" as in "Who knows?" or "Nonsense!" or "Don't be silly!"? That fits the context, but I thought I'd ask anyway. Berish Goldstein Newtonville, MA 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 11:25:47 -0500 (EST) From: Amkal@aol.com Subject: nitl I was surprised to see Leonard Pragers report on Szajkowski's writings about nitl, which is interpreted to mean "carol", and is no doubt an authoritative interpretation. We used Nitl not only for Christmas but for other Christian holidays, e,g, Easter, and it was meant to be a day in which learning of Torah was omitted, and other "entertainments" such as card playing, were substituted. It was my understanding that the word means nitul from Hebrew, i.e. taken away, referring to the obligation to "learn". Furthermore, it was said to have originated in the Middle Ages, when on such days attacks on jews might be threatening, and congregating in the Beth Hamidrash was dangerous. Avrum-Yankev Amkraut 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1998 21:07:31 -0500 (EST) From: Endleman Subject: zidlung On Dec. 18, 1998 Ruth Goodman asked for the meaning of some Yiddish words. The only one I think I understood was "zidlung." To the best of my knowledge it means cursing. Zidlehn means to curse. At least that's what I thought my Yiddish teacher told me not to do when I was a child. ("Zidlehn is nisht shein.") Zeit Alle gezunt. Shalom Endleman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1998 10:27:24 -0500 (EST) From: BubEZadE@aol.com Subject: zidlung, etc. Re Ruth Goldman's request for words: "vlakh" in Russian "blyakh" is a rigid piece of metal. "grabia" are spoils in a theft. "Grabli" is a horse comb. "zidlung" is an insult. "bazidlung" to insult Perhaps N. Miller could write where in Sholem Aleichem he found "farvarfn genz." Jack Engelhardt 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 02:06:09 -0500 (EST) From: "Kame'a Media" Subject: zidlung, etc. Ruth Goodman inquires about the meaning of: grabia: grabye - a rake (the implement used to gather leaves, not the human kind. zidlung: a scolding Wolf Krakowski 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 00:39:41 -0500 (EST) From: YOU2IG@aol.com Subject: zidlung, etc. In response to Ruth Goodman's inquiry about the yiddish word "zidlung" I offer the translation - insult. I am most familiar with the usage such as -- er hut mir up gezidelt where the infinitive is probably "zidlen". Irv Young Isles of Capri, FL 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1998 14:36:55 -0500 (EST) From: feller@indirect.com (Morris Feller) Subject: Idiom needed A friend of mine has asked me for a Yiddish idiom which would convey the concept of buttering someone up, i.e., telling him/her more than what is necessary, and not necessarily truthful. He said that the term "to shmear" was close but not quite good enough. I have perused all of Yosef Guri's "1000 Yiddish Idioms" (wonderful book!), but was unable to find anything which seemed applicable. I assured my friend that without a doubt someone on Mendele would come up with the right phase. Nu? Morrie Feller Phoenix 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1998 11:36:02 -0500 (EST) From: HyMoWo@aol.com Subject: donats and pontshkes David Herskovic writes: "According to vaynraykh yidish for doughnuts is donats. Had vaynraykh not heard of pontshkes?" Bye undz in der heym der untershit tsvishn a donats un a pontshke iz geveyn zayer klor. A ponshke hot gehat gefilakhes inevayik (ayngemakhts oder zhele), un a donats hot gehat a lokh. Khayim Volfe (aka Hy Wolfe) 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 11:12:11 -0500 (EST) From: kay goodman Subject: Laaz Are there any terms or variants thereof in Yiddish which can be traced to the Laaz language? A dank! Keyle Goodman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.106 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html