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About
Dr. Ink
Dr.
Ink offers advice and insights on a range of journalism
questions. Sometimes, the answers are serious, sometimes
humorous, but always credible.
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April
1, 2002
You
Da Mensh!
The Doc Gets Yiddish
Dear
Readers:
The
Doc writes this on Passover, with the help of a gift from
his good friend Jeannie Nissenbaum.
Dr.
Ink grew up Catholic, but his mother's mother, Nana Ink,
was Jewish. Traditionally, the line of descent within Judaism
is matrilineal, so that in one expression of Jewish law,
known as Halakah, the Doctor is a Jewish Doctor, so to speak,
and proud of it.
Moreover,
his friend Jeannie once called him a "mensh."
Doc had a general sense that this was a good thing, but
it was only when he consulted the wonderful reference book,
The Joys of Yiddish by the late Leo Rosten, that
Doc recognized the full significance of the compliment.
"It
is hard to convey the special sense of respect, dignity,
approbation, that can be conveyed by calling someone 'a
real mensh!'" writes Rosten. "The key to
being 'a real mensh' is nothing less than character:
rectitude, dignity, a sense of what is right, responsible,
decorous. Many a poor man, many an ignorant man, is a mensh."
No
lover of the American language should be without this brilliant
533-page dictionary of linguistic and cultural knowledge.
The reader will be astonished at the pervasive effects of
Yiddish on the mother tongue. Here are some of Doc's favorite
words, with glosses from Rosten:
Bubkes:
From the Russian word for beans. Something worthless
as against expectations, as in, "I worked on it for
three hours –- and what did he give me? Bubkes!"
Farbissener:
"A farbissener is dour, mean, unpleasant, unlikable…(it)
carries the implication of psychologically distorted, crippled."
Dr. Ink now recalls that his cousin Dr. Evil, from the Austin
Powers movies, has a dour henchwoman named "Frau Farbissener."
Hoo-ha!:
"An immensely impressive Yiddishism for the expression
of admiration, astonishment, envy, skepticism, deflation,
scorn." The Yiddish form of "Wow!" it was
used by some editors at the Wall Street Journal to
describe the effects of a well-written nut graph: "The
reader should say hoo-ha!"
Meshuggeneh:
Dr. Ink often heard this word growing up in New York City
and its suburbs. It means "crazy, nuts, wildly extravagant,
absurd." In fact, Dr. Ink grew up in a meshuggeneh
family.
Putz:
"Literally, putz is vulgar slang for 'penis.'
But the vulgarism is rarely used to designate the member;
the word shmuck does that. As used, putz is
a term of contempt for: 1) a fool, an ass, a jerk; 2) a
simpleton or yokel; an easy mark." Rosten adds this
caution: "Putz is not to be used lightly, or
when women or children are around. It is more offensive
than shmuck; the latter may be used in a teasing
and affectionate way, vulgar though it is, but putz
has a pejorative ambience."
In
addition to being a source of such fun, Rosten's book contains
many words and phrases central to the serious experience
of Jews in America. At a time when religion is much in the
news, it is an excellent source for journalists.
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