Favorite Yiddish word?

[Bossy Monkey]

My leading candidates are tokhes & schmegegge, though online Yiddish dictionaries indicate that I never knew what the latter in fact means. Indeed, you learn something new everyday.
Yours?

[SarahB]

1. Oy vah!

Being a wasp, I probably spelled this wrong, but I love it nonetheless. :D

[a_random_joel]

12. That's a good one.

but it is indeed spelled Oy vey.

Not bad for a goyim...

[Canuckistanian]

21. Or Oy Gevalt!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

2. If it means what I've been told it means - yucky!!!

I like schmendrick

[Bossy Monkey]

7. Just means "idiot"

I'd always heard it in the context "the whole schmegegge," indicating it meant a big thing, but apparently that was just NY standup comics messing with us.
You're probably thinking of smegma...

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

8. Oy what a schmendrick I am!

My punam has gone beet red!

[Burma Jones]

3. schmuck

Favorite Phrase = Geh Kachen afin Yam (sp?) - Go Shit in your Hat.

[Kolesar]

5. I learned that one from Bugs Bunny

We Monty Python fans in high school would say "oh, bloody hell" without realizing that it was rude language. What is funny is that I am sure some of our literature teachers knew it was rude but just ignored it.

[Beware the Beast Man]

4. Meshuggenah

I'm a gentile, so I don't think I spelled it right!

[terrya]

6. Schlemiel...as I learned it from the theme to "Laverne and Shirley"

:-)

[Fovea]

9. shlemazle

Because I am one.

[non sociopath skin]

10. Chutzpah

... a quality which I fear eludes we mere gentiles but which my wonderful jewish New Yorker wife has in abundance. :loveya:

The Skin

[a_random_joel]

11. My candidates...

Nosh

Meshugine

Kakameyme

Tuches

Phrase - "hock me in chinik" which means literally to bang a tea kettle, but you say this to someone who's irritating the hell out of you.

[Texasgal]

13. Verklempt! n/t

[tishaLA]

14. Farchadat

although I have to admit farbisene and meiskeit are up there too.

[bif]

15. Schmooze

I use it (over use it) all the time.

[slinkerwink]

16. definitely verklempt!

[Magrittes Pipe]

17. Plotz.

Ver ferbrenz.

[BurtWorm]

18. bupkes.

pupik.

These are just two of my favorite Yiddish words.

[regularguy]

22. HA. Pupik.

I remember as a teenager in the 70s everytime I would see my Grandmother she'd say : "Oy your hair is growing down to your pupik!"

[regularguy]

19. Schvantz

http://www.nerve.com/Dispatches/West/gutterGlossary/gutterGlossary2.asp

[DelawareValleyDem]

20. shiksa

[eyesroll]

23. I like "oy." The plain simplicity of it.

"Oy" is a great all-purpose word. You can express frustration, exasperation, minor pain -- my goyishe husband even pointed out it can be used as a greeting, similar to its kindred expression, "Yo."

I didn't see it at first -- and then he said, "picture your dad and grandfather meeting up -- 'Oy! I hope your trip was better than mine...'"

Yeah, he's right.

Plus, Al Franken's "Oy Oy Oy Show" rocks.