shmendrik

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Pronunciations

shmendrik (SHMEHN-drihk) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A jerk, stupid person.

  • n. Someone of no importance.

  • n. Someone who falsely thinks he can succeed.

  • n. (affectionately) A child.

  • n. (offensive) A penis.

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Example Sentences

  • "Tell that shmendrik downstairs to turn down his stereo." (source)

  • “He has all the unrealistic hopes of a shmendrik.” (NJY)

  • “How’s my little shmendrik?” (NJY)

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • שמענדריק shmendrik, 'fool', named after an idiotic mama's boy character in a Yiddish play by Avrom Goldfaden

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      schmendrick, schmendrik, shmendrick

Notes

  • Generally used to refer to a hapless, unintentional jerk, rather than someone who is deliberately or stubbornly so (as opposed to "schmuck").

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