loy mit an alef

Edit
Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • interj. Absolutely not.

Example Sentences

  • "'No!' he bellows, adding: 'Loy mit an alef,' a Hebrew-Yiddish word play meaning 'absolutely not.'" (source)

  • "Still, my prompt silent answer to myself was a categorical 'loy mit an alef' -- no!" (source)

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y לא מיט אַן אַלף loy mit an alef, lit. 'loy (לא meaning 'no' and spelled with the letter א 'alef') with an "alef"'

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      loi mit an alef

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.

Share this word: