chutzpah
Nerve or extreme arrogance. In English, chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but among Yiddish speakers, it is not acompliment.
feh!
An expression of disgust or disapproval, representative of the sound of spitting.
kvetsh
In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine or fret,” but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,” like a wrong-sized shoe. But it’s also used on Yiddish web pages for “click here."
maven
An expert, often used sarcastically.
Mazel Tov
Literally “good luck,” (well, literally, “good constellation”) but it’s a congratulation for what just happened, not a hopeful wish for what might happen in the future. When someone gets married or has a child or graduates from college, this is what you say to them.
mentsh (or mensch)
An honorable, decent person, an authentic person, a person who helps you when you need help. Can be a man, woman or child.
mishegas
Insanity or craziness. A meshugener is a crazy man. If you want to insult someone, you can ask them, ”Does it hurt to be crazy?”
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