Yes, I am a Shiksa, a word for a non-Jew, or Gentile woman. Growing up in Covington in the 50s, 60s, there were very few Jewish families. Only one family comes to mind: the Katz family, super nice, involved, loved. I knew nothing about Judaism, except what I had READ in books, but no clue as to pronunciation. So...I was working in New York City in a large, famous publishing company with probably 95% Jews working there. There was a good-looking guy, Mark Kaplan, who flirted with me a lot. One day, he sidled up near my desk and proposed a menage a trois with his wife! I was innocent, shocked by his boldness, at a loss for words...when I remembered that word I had read…so I summoned up my courage, turned to him and said “Well, Mark, that takes a lot of CHUTZ-par (first time I had pronounced the word). He doubled over laughing, almost howling for a minute. I was embarrassed. “I don’t believe it, you are SO innocent, no clue there, OMG, really, are you serious?” He laughed some more, then he pronounced HOUTS-spah, the authentic way. He DID give me credit for the correct usage of the word. I declined his offer, despite repeated attempts. Soon, I started to listen to pronunciation of Yiddish words. When spoken, there is a distinct way of pushing air, a raspiness, from the back of the throat, guttural, as if the spoken words became almost floating. There is a special, almost exaggerated way the lips contort to make the sounds. I had to practice, but I mastered several, and these are my TOP TEN favorites.

1. Putz…(puhtss) can be a noun or a verb. If you dilly-dally, waste time, procrastinate, do nothing important, fritter away your day, you are putzing around. However, if you ARE a putz, you are a worthless or stupid person, a fool, but it also has a vulgar meaning (only men).
2. Schlep… (ssshhhlep) uncomfortable, lugging stuff around, carrying too much, heavy, or awkward movement. I used to schlep all kinds of gear to go to an outdoor art show, and to add insult to injury, often get rained on. You can schlep armfuls of heavy grocery bags.
3. Spiel … (ssshhhpeel) a lengthy and elaborate sales pitch, often insincere, a song and dance, trying to persuade you of something. It seems that money may be involved, if you “buy into” his idea. Politicians can use well-rehearsed, slick and persuasive speeches in their campaigns. ‘‘Did you listen to his spiel about…?”
4. Kosher… (COE-sher) strictly and literally blessed and certified by a Rabbi, so that the food is untainted and safe for orthodox Jews to consume. But it has come into the mainstream and means fit, proper, approved, genuine, legitimate, the real thing. “Did the lawyer say our contract is kosher?’’
5. Oy Vey… (oyy- VAY) an exclamation of exasperation or dismay, stronger than “Oh no, things went terribly wrong and I’m looking at the disaster.” Sometimes accompanied by wails and handwringing. It can be shortened to simply OY, with eye rolling.
6. Klutz…(klutss) is a clumsy person, not graceful, always tripping or stumbling or dropping things. Even accidentally breaking things, awkward, from the Yiddish word for block of wood. You are NOT supposed to say that about yourself, but I am a klutz sometimes, and everyone has been a klutz at some point.
7. Chutzpah…you know now how to pronounce it. It means EXTREME self-confidence, cocky, arrogant, brazen, bold; can be bad or gutsy, I suppose, depending on who says it?
8. Glitch…. (like ditch) everybody knows what this means, as it has become part of mainstream English. When something messes up, a hitch, snag, defect, not working. It can mess up events, plans, machinery etc. it becomes a glitch. When planning something, you hope for NO glitches, please!
9. Schmooze…(Pronounced exactly like it’s spelled; just…drag… it out with pursed lips). Again, I think most people know this one. It means to “snow” someone with flattery, sales pitch, super friendly, oozing charm, but with an underlying purpose, a specific goal, very persuasive for future connections. You kinda know it’s insincere, but you can enjoy the flattery and attention.

No. 10 is a tie between schmaltz and schmuck, as they are pronounced so similarly, both with the heavy SSCCHHHm. Schmaltz is overly sweet, corny, excessively sentimental, mushy, overdone, too decorated, and is also Yiddish for chicken fat. Schmuck is a jerk, disgusting, an obnoxious person. It is a pejorative (such a great word!) beyond stupid, just an idiot, and can also describe a male body part (guess...) “He’s such a schmuck!”

Well, that’s 10 (11) and then a few others...schwag, mensch, kvetch, nosh, shlemiel, tuchus, mazeltov, shtick, kibbitz, etc. Feel free to look them up!

All the above are Yiddish, which was developed over a thousand years ago, and was the everyday language for many Jews until the holocaust. Today, it is usually spoken in closed circle of ultra-orthodox Jewish communities. Such a rich and expressive vocabulary, with staying power.

So... I leave you with one Hebrew word… Shalom. It is not only the absence of conflict. It can be hello and goodbye. The name of God in the Bible is Yahweh-Shalom, which is ‘‘The Lord is Peace.” Jesus said “Peace be with you.” 

Carol Veliotis is a local columnist for The Covington News. She can be reached at carol.veliotis@gmail.com.