Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.148 October 22, 1995 1) Aderabe (Shleyme Axelrod) 2) Pakn un khapn (David Herskovic) 3) Yiddish and the O.E.D. (Dan Leeson) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Oct 1995 23:07:06 -0400 (EDT) From: ptyaxel@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu Subject: aderabe: +/- In 5.145, Eliyahu Juni takes issue with Zellig Bach's gloss (5.125) of _aderabe_ as `Why not? By all means!', arguing, with examples, that the word indicates `a denial or rebuttal of an assertion or a suggestion.' _A modne vort, "aderabe", mit tsvey kimat-farkerte meynungen_. Harkavy (1898) gives both `all the better' and `on the contrary'; similarly, Weinreich (1968) has both `not at all, on the contrary' and `in fact; by all means' [also `you are welcome'. For the intensified _aderabe-v'aderabe_, Weinreich has `by all means, with the greatest of pleasure'.] So it appears that both the emphatically affirmative and the emphatically negative are kosher glosses for _aderabe_, making both Zellig's and Eliyahu's usages correct. Go figure. Shleyme Axelrod Buffalo, New York 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 21 Oct 95 21:37:06 EDT From: 100114.750@compuserve.com Subject: aderabe, khevraye Sorry but I must demur with Reb Eliyahu once again. While 'aderabe' in the gemore, from where the word originates, is always used to say 'pinkt farkert' in yidish it is usually used in the way reb zelig used it and that is to enforce and strengthen the interlocutors statement or question. For eg. if I say to friend 'efsher kimst di aran far a teler cholent?' he may answer 'nu, aderabe efsher host di abisl kigl okh?' Just a small ditty on the subject of aderabe. There is an Israeli tour company called Hoffman Travel which mainly services the Orthodox community. The founder, a Hungarian jew, would sometimes come on the buses to collect the fares and instruct the driver. By the time I remember him he was an elderly person (he may still be alive) in er fleygt zikh brekhen ale tsayn over his ivrit. He once wanted to tell a driver to make a U-turn so he says to him "nu, titapekh aderabe". (BTW aderabe here is used as Mr Juni's assertion.) I agree khevraye is used as reb eliyahu describes it though I have never heard the term rosh khevraye. rosh hakhevre is a commonly used term and would be suitable for reb noyekh if only he agreed. In belz the head of a group (khevre) that gathers to discuss khasidishe toyres and mases is known as a rosh hakhevre.In ger they are known as komendanten. Also in belz the head of the kitchen is known as der rosh hakhevre. men fleykt afile zogen as a rosh hakhevre (the food one) hot a vort in himel. In defence of reb noyekh I would say this. yehoyshie ben nin was a shames of moyshe rabayni. Legend has it that rashi's father was zoykhe to such a son because he was a shames in a shil and would sweep up in front of the oren koydesh with his beard. I also believe that the bal shem tov was a shames at some time in his life. So reb noyekh is not in too bad company after all. Let us also remember that this week is parshes noyekh which has in it 'noyekh ish tsadik'!!! David Herskovic 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 09:31:47 EDT From: leeson@aspen.fhda.edu Subject: Yiddish and the O.E.D. Every now and then, the subject of Yiddish is discussed on a very popular board named _Jewishgen_ or the Jewish Genealogical Bulletin Board. Most of the members of the board do not speak Yiddish or even know more than a word or two. One member of the board decided to post a list of 123 words that he remembered and even made a contest out of it. I thought that you might find the variant spellings interesting because the submitter appears to have looked up these words in the Oxford English dictionary. 1. bagel 63. rebbitzin 2. blintze 64. ryebuck 3. caser 65. schalet; schalete 4. chutzpah 66. schlemiel 5. cocum 67. schlep 6. dreck 68. schlep 7. farfel 69. schlepper 8. finnip 70. schlimazel 9. futz 71. schlock 10. gefullte fish 72. schlub 11. glitzy 73. schmaltz 12. golem 74. schmatte 13. gunsel 75. schmeck 14. guntz 76. schmeer 15. heimisch 77. schmoll 16. kibbutznik 78. schmooze 17. kibitz 79. schmooze 18. kibitzer 80. schmuck 19. kibosh 81. schmutter 20. kishke 82. schmutz 21. kittel 83. schnook 22. klutz 84. schnorrer 23. knaidel 85. schnozz 24. knish 86. schnozzle 25. koppel 87. schvartze; schvartzer 26. kreplach 88. Sedra 27. kugel 89. Shabbos 28. kvell 90. shadchan 29. kvetch 91. shamas; shamash 30. latke 92. sheitel 31. lekach 93. shemozzle 32. link 94. shicker 33. Litvak 95. shidduch 34. lokshen 96. shiksa 35. lox 97. shoful 36. luftmensch; luftmensh 98. shtetl 37. macher 99. shtibl 38. matzah 100. shtik 39. mazuma 111. shtook 40. mensch 112. shtoom 41. meshuga; meshugga 113. shtup 42. meshugaas 114. shul 43. meshumad; meshummad 115. steever 44. mocky 116. stuss 45. moskeneer 117. tochus 46. narrischkeit 118. tsatske; tchotchke 47. nebbich 119. tsores 48. nit 110. tummler 49. nosh 111. tzimmes 50. nosh 112. vigorish 51. nu 113. yahrzeit 52. nudnik 114. yarmulke 53. oof 115. yenta 54. oy; oi 116. yentz 55. pastrami 117. yichus 56. pirog 118. Yiddishism 57. pisher 119. Yiddishist 58. plotz 120. Yiddishkeit 59. potch 121. yok 60. rav 122. yom tov 61. reb 123. zaftig 62. rebbe Dan Leeson Los Altos, California ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.148