Ah klug zul ze helfin is what I remember my mother saying angrily. What did she mean?
A kluger zol zi helfn means something like “A clever person should help her/you,” which is a great example of Yiddish sarcasm.
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@yiddishwordoftheweek
Ah klug zul ze helfin is what I remember my mother saying angrily. What did she mean?
A kluger zol zi helfn means something like “A clever person should help her/you,” which is a great example of Yiddish sarcasm.
Do you have some tricks to guess the pronunciation of the letters א and פ when the writer omits the modifiers, i.e. פֿ פּ אַ אָ ?
Hmmm, no tricks spring immediately to mind, although it’s generally the case that פאר at the beginning of the word should be pronounced far (but even here we have exceptions, as in the case of פארפאלק, porfolk). Sorry!
i can't remember the word for my relationship to my child's in-laws.
Mekhutn (מחותּן) for you child’s father-in-law, makheteyneste (מחותּנתֿטע) for your child’s mother-in-law; makhetonem (מחותּנים) for the two of them together.
Hi, I was reading the lyrics to a Yiddish folk song that starts, "Shpil zhe mir a lidele oyf yidish," later rewritten as, "Shpil zhe mir a tango oys in yidish," and I found myself wondering what "zhe" means. I don't know how to spell it in Yiddish because I can't find the lyrics in the Hebrew alphabet (which I can't type and can barely read), but it looks like a Russian word, also pronounced "zhe," which seems to be similarly used with imperatives. (I don't speak Russian either.)
Zhe, spelled זשע in Yiddish, is a Slavic-derived word that means something like “so” or “then” and is often used as a term of endearment (or annoyance, as the case may be). Hope that helps!
I know I'm not transliterating perfectly, but do you know the meaning for the expression: miachal for the biachal? I think it means a delight for the stomach when something is delicious. Can you help me?
It does mean that! מאכל פֿאַרן בײַכל. A maykhl is a tasty treat, and a baykhl is a stomach.
I don't know if this blog is still active, but can you tell me how to write "biz hundert azoi ve tsvantsik" in Hebrew/Yiddish, instead of the Latin lettering. Also, how do you pronounce it? Thank you!
Sure! ביז הונדערט אַזוי ווי צוואַנציק. Pronunciation: biz (like showbiz), hoon-dirt, a-zoy, vee, tsvan (rhymes with swan)-tsik (rhymes with chick).
I have learned Yiddish for a week now, studying for a few hours a day and listening to Yiddish music while I'm doing other things. I think I'm at the point where I cant get some conversation practice on Skype or something of the sort. The only thing is that on the sights I usually go to such as iTalki, there are little to no Yiddish speakers. Do you know of any way I can get into contact with Yiddish speakers in order to practice my Yiddish?
There are several active Yiddish listservs that I know of. Following is a selection, but I’m sure you can find more with some Google searches: Tate-Mames, Yiddishland ייִדישלאַנד, Yidish-Loshn, and Mendele.
I'm trying to translate a cursive Yiddish sentence, describing a couple on a picture postcard, Using English except for the mystery name/term: "Left is Isaac with מאַלן" On YIVO's site, I found "misfortune" -- מאַלער, and on your wonderful site, a discussion of Moln - מאלן. Please advise if you recognize the mystery name or word on my card. If you'd like, I can email you a photo of the Yiddish message. A sheynem dank! Len
Male (pronounced mah-leh) is a relatively common Yiddish name for women. The reason it appears with a nun at the end has to do with the fact that names in Yiddish often take dative case markers when they follow prepositions. I assume the couple was named Isaac and Male.
Gezunt
Gezunt - געזונט - In Honor of Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
Gezunt - געזונט \ge-ZUNT\ Adjective: Healthy, well, strong, buxom, wholesome, robust.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: kreftik (קרעפטיק), mit alemen (מיט אַלעמען), yoderdik (יאָדערדיק).
German equivalent: gesund.
Etymology: The word derives from Middle High German "gesunt," from Old High German "gisunt," from Proto-Germanic *gasundaz, *sundaz, themselves from Proto-Indo-European *sunt-, *swent- ("vigorous, strong, active, healthy"). Cognates include Danish "sund;" Old Dutch *sund; Middle Dutch "sunt, sont;" Modern Dutch "gezond;" Old English "sund, ġesund;" Middle English "sound, sund, isund;" Modern English "sound;" Faroese "sunnur;" Old Frisian "sund;" Middle Low German "sunt;" Low German "sund, gesund;" New High German "gesund;" Old Saxon "gisund;" Scots "sound, soun;" Old Swedish "sunder;" Modern Swedish "sund;" and West Frisian "sûn, sûnd." Also related are Modern Dutch "gezwind;" Old English "swīþ;" New High German "geschwind;" and Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌹𐌽𐌸.
Derivatives of gezunt: gezunt makhn (געזונט מאַכן) - to heal (transitive); gezunt (געזונט) - health, well-being; gezunt-rezort (געזונט-רעזאָרט) - a health resort; gezunt-opteyl (געזונט-אָפּטייל) or gezuntamt (געזונטאַמט) - board of health; folksgezunt (פאָלקסגעזונט) - public health; umgezuntkayt (אומגעזונטקײַט) - unhealthiness; gezuntgibik (געזונטגיביק) - healthful; umgezunt (אומגעזונט) or nisht-gezunt (נישט-געזונט) - ailing, sick, unwholesome, unhealthy; gezunterheyt (געזונטערהייט) - in good health, may it do you good!, iron., at your own risk, if you like. For more gezunt-terminologye (געזונט-טערמינאָלאָגיע) - health terminology, in Yiddish and English translation, see the list prepared by Gitl Schaechter-Viswanath, with the collaboration of Sholem Zackary Berger and Paul Glasser.
Phrases with gezunt: araynleygn a gezuntn kop in a kranken bet (אַרײַנלייגן אַ געזונטן קאָפּ אין אַ קראַנקן בעט) - to knowingly put oneself into a dangerous situation or one in which it is impossible to succeed (lit., to place a healthy head into a sickbed; on the derivation of Modern Hebrew al takhnis rosh bari le-mittah holah from this phrase, see Gold); avekgebn/avekleygn dos gezunt (אַוועקגעבן/אַוועקלייגן דאָס געזונט) - to ruin one's health; kostn a shtik gezunt (קאָסטן אַ שטיק געזונט) - to damage one's health (lit., to cost a bit of health); gezunter farshtand (געזונטער פאַרשטאַנד) - common sense; frish un gezunt un meshuge (פריש און געזונט און משוגע) - hale, hearty, and unhinged (said of a fantastical, bizarre idea or story that makes you question the sanity of the person who reported it); gezunt un shtark (געזונט און שטאַרק) - in perfect health; abi gezunt (אַבי געזונט) - as long as you have your health; baym bestn gezunt (בײַם בעסטן געזונט) - in the best of health.
Comparisons with gezunt: gezunt vi (a shtik) ayzn (געזונט ווי [אַ שטיק] אײַזן) - as healthy/strong as (a bit of) iron; a ber (אַ בער) - a bear; a bufloks (אַ בופלאָקס) - a buffalo; a boym (אַ בוים) - a tree; a demb (אַ דעמב) - an oak; a ferd (אַ פערד) - a horse; a furman (אַ פורמאַן) or a shmayser (אַ שמײַסער) - a coachman; a goy (אַ גוי) or tsen goyim (צען גויים) - a non-Jew, or ten non-Jews; a katsap (אַ קאַצאַפּ) - a Russian (pej.); a leyb (אַ לייב) - a lion; a moyer (אַ מויער) - a wall; an oks (אַן אָקס) - an ox; a poyer (אַ פּויער) - a peasant; a riz (אַ ריז) - a giant; a shteyn (אַ שטיין) - a stone; a yishuvnik (אַ יישובניק) - a rural Jew; a yurke (אַ יורקע) - an oaf; eysev (עשו) - Esau; golyes haplishti (גלית הפּלשתּי) - the Philistine Goliath; oyg melekh haboshn (עוג מלך הבשן) - Og King of Bashan; shimshen hagiber (שמשון הגבור) - the hero Samson.
Expressions with gezunt: 1. Alts farlirt der mentsh mit di yorn: yugnt, sheynheyt, gezunt, libe far koved; nor eyn zakh blaybt im - zayn narishkeyt (אַלץ פאַרלירט דער מענטש מיט די יאָרן: יוגנט, שיינהייט, געזונט, ליבע פאַר כּבוד; נאָר איין זאַך בלײַבט אים - זײַן נאַרישקייט) - A person loses everything as he ages: his youth, good looks, health, pursuit of respect; only one thing remains with him - his foolishness. Similarly, A kranker vet gezunt vern, a shiker vet zikh oysnikhtern, a shvartser vet vays vern - un a nar vet blaybn a nar (אַ קראַנקער וועט געזונט ווערן, אַ שכּור וועט זיך אויסניכטערן, אַ שוואַרצער וועט ווײַס ווערן - און אַ נאַר וועט בלײַבן אַ נאַר) - A sick person will be healed, a drunkard will sober up, the swarthy will turn light - but a fool remains a fool. Also: A nar darf hobn gezunte fis (אַ נאַר דאַרף האָבן געזונטע פיס) - A fool must have strong feet (because he has to repeat his steps a lot to get anything done); Ver es hot nisht keyn seykhl darf keyn gezunt oykh nisht hobn (ווער עס האָט קיין שכל דאַרף קיין געזונט אויך נישט האָבן) - He who has no common sense need not have health either; and Er veyst nisht fun zayn gezunt (ער ווייסט נישט פון זײַן געזונט) - He does not know whether he is Arthur or Martha, does not know a hawk from a handsaw (lit., he does not know his own health). 2. Gezunt kumt far parnose (געזונט קומט פאַר פּרנסה) - Health is more important than income (on which, see Rabbi Dovid Cohen). Similarly, Gezunt un parnose iz di beste bakoshe (געזונט און פּרנסה איז די בעסטע בקשה) - Health and earnings are the best yearnings; A kapore dos gelt, dos gezunt iz liber (אַ כּפּרה דאָס געלט, דאָס געזונט איז ליבער) - Who cares about money? Health is preferable; Gezunt iz beser fun gelt (געזונט איז בעסער פון געלט) - Health is better than wealth; Beser a gezunter oreman eyder a kranker oysher (בעסער אַ געזונטער אָרעמאַן איידער אַ קראַנקער עושר) - Better poor and healthy than sick and wealthy; Az men iz nor gezunt, iz men shoyn raykh (אַז מען איז נאָר געזונט, איז מען שוין רײַך) - If one is healthy, one is already wealthy; Az der mentsh iz gezunt, hot er a sakh dayges; az er vert krank, hot er eyn dayge (אַז דער מענטש איז געזונט, האָט ער אַ סך דאגות; אַז ער ווערט קראַנק, האָט ער איין דאגה) - When a man is healthy, he has many worries; when he is sick, he has only one worry; and, most poignantly, Far gelt ken men koyfn fargenigns, ober nisht keyn glik; bakantshaftn, ober nisht keyn fraynd; meditsinen, ober nisht keyn gezunt (פאַר געלט קען מען קויפן פאַרגעניגנס, אָבער נישט קיין גליק; באַקאַנטשאַפטן, אָבער נישט קיין פרײַנד; מעדיצינען, אָבער נישט קיין געזונט) - With money, one can purchase pleasures, but not happiness; acquaintances, but not friends; medications, but not health. 3. A zun iz dos gezunt, a tokhter iz a kind, an eydem iz a hunt, a shnur iz a vund (אַ זון איז דאָס געזונט, אַ טאָכטער איז אַ קינד, אַן איידעם איז אַ הונט, אַ שנור איז אַ וווּנד) (meant to be pronounced in the Southern Yiddish accent so that all the final words rhyme) - A son is one's health, a daughter is a child, a son-in-law is a dog, a daughter-in-law is a wound. Similarly, Eyder men iz megadl a kind, vert men on dos gezunt (איידער מען איז מגדל אַ קינד, ווערט מען אָן דאַָס געזונט) - Before one has managed to raise a child, one has lost his health; and Beser gezunt gehert, eyder krank gezen (בעסער געזונט געהערט, איידער קראַנק געזען) - Better to hear (mistaken) good tidings about one's children living abroad than to see their misbehavior up close at home. 4. Vos vintsiker men fregt/redt, iz alts gezinter (וואָס ווינציקער מען פרעגט/רעדט, איז אַלץ געזינטער) - The less you ask/talk, the better off you are. 5. Az me hot kinder, gezunt, un gelt, ken men zikh nisht vuntshn keyn shenere velt (אַז מע האָט קינדער, געזונט, און געלט, קען מען זיך נישט וווּנטשן קיין שענערע וועלט) - A little house well filled, a little field well tilled, and a little wife well willed, are great riches (lit., When a man has children, health, and wealth, he cannot wish himself a better life). 6. Protsent nemt avek dos gezunt mit di hent (פּראָצענט נעמט אַוועק דאָס געזונט מיט די הענט) - Interest directly damages one's health.
7. Es iz gezunt - tsum hoyker (עס איז געזונט - צום הויקער) - It's good - for giving you a hunchback (said of a medication or procedure supposed to heal that does nothing in the end). 8. Az a mentsh iz gezunt, meynt er az es kumt im azoy (אַז אַ מענטש איז געזונט, מיינט ער אַז עס קומט אים אַזוי) - If a person is healthy, he thinks it's his due. 9. A krankn fregt men, a gezuntn git men (אַ קראַנקן פרעגט מען, אַ געזונטן גיט מען) - Inquire of the sick, feed the healthy unasked.
Blessings with gezunt: 1. Tsu(m) gezunt! (צו[ם] געזונט) - God bless you, gesundheit (after a sneeze), you're welcome (in response to thanks), may it do you good (in administering medicine) (on the derivation of Modern Hebrew la-beri’ut from this phrase, see Gold)! Similarly, Vaksn zolstu tsu gezunt! (וואַקסן זאָלסטו צו געזונט) - May you grow to health (after a sneeze)! (To someone sneezing three times:) Tsu gezunt, tsu lebn, tsu lange yor! (צו געזונט, צו לעבן, צו לאַנגע יאָר) - To health, to life, to long years! (And the parody: Tsu gezunt, tsu lebn, tsu lange hor [צו געזונט, צו לעבן, צו לאַנגע האָר] - To health, to life, to long hair.) (To a child:) A gezunt dir in yedn eyverl! (אַ געזונט דיר אין יעדן אברל) - Health to all your little limbs! or Tsu gezunt, tsu lebn, tsu vaksn, tsu kveln, unter der khupe tsu shteln! (צו געזונט, צו לעבן, צו וואַקסן, צו קוועלן, אונטער דער חופּה צו שטעלן) - To health, to life, to growth, to bringing joy, to standing underneath the wedding canopy! 2. Es gezunterheyt (עס געזונטערהייט) - Bon appétit; For gezunterheyt (פאָר געזונטערהייט) - Have a nice trip, bon voyage; Trog/Tserays es gezunterheyt (טראָג/צערײַס עס געזונטערהייט) - Wear it well, enjoy wearing it; Shlof gezunterheyt (שלאָף געזונטערהייט) - Sleep well. 3. Zay gezunt (זײַ געזונט) or Zay mir dervayl gezunt (זײַ מיר דערווײַל געזונט) - Farewell, goodbye, see you later, so long (on the derivation of Modern Hebrew tihyeh bari from this phrase, see Farstey [for those with a subscription to Brill online publishers]). 4. A gezunt in dayn kop/kepele (אַ געזונט אין דײַן קאָפּ/קעפּעלע) - Health to your little head (said to a clever child); A greptsele aroys, a gezuntele arayn (אַ גרעפּסעלע אַרויס, אַ געזונטעלע אַרײַן) - A little burp will bring you a little health (lit., A little burp out, a little health in; said when burping baby); A hemdele aroyf, a hemdele arop - a gezunt dir in kop (אַ העמדעלע אַרויף, אַ העמדעלע אַראָפּ - אַ געזונט דיר אין קאָפּ) - One shirt off, one shirt on - health be on your head (said by a mother while changing her child's shirt or blouse). 5. Gezunt zolstu zayn (געזונט זאָלסטו זײַן) - God bless you!, iron., just a minute! what are you thinking?; A gezunt tsu dir (אַ געזונט צו דיר) or A gezunt in dayne beyner (אַ געזונט אין דײַנע ביינער) - Well done! Bravo! (lit., health upon you/in your bones). For more on blessings with gezunt, see Matisoff, esp. pp. 32-40.
Curses with gezunt: 1. Gezunt un shtayf zolstu zayn (געזונט און שטײַף זאָלסטו זײַן) - May you be healthy and stiff (a play on Gezunt un shtark zolstu zayn [געזונט און שטאַרק זאָלסטו זײַן] - May you be healthy and strong). 2. Gezunt un shtark zolstu zayn vi ayzn, zolst zikh nisht kenen aynbeygn (געזונט און שטאַרק זאָלסטו זײַן ווי אײַזן, זאָלסט זיך נישט קענען אײַנבייגן) - May you be healthy and tough as iron, so much so that you cannot bend over. 3. A gezunt dir in boykh, a zalts in di beyner (אַ געזונט דיר אין בויך, אַ זאַלץ אין די ביינער) - Health to your stomach, salt to your bones (a play on A gezunt in dayne beyner). 4. Gezunte zoln dikh trogn (געזונט זאָלן זיך טראָגן) - May healthy people carry you off (a play on Gezunterheyt zolt ir es trogn [געזונטערהייט זאָלט איר עס טראָגן] - May you wear it well; for a Holocaust-era-related application of this curse [to a German officer], see Blumenthal). 5. Got zol dir helfn, zolst shtendik zayn gezunt un shtark, un shtendik fregn vos far a veter es iz in droysn (גאָט זאָל דיר העלפן, זאָלסט שטענדיק זײַן געזונט און שטאַרק, און שטענדיק פרעגן וואָס פאַר אַ וועטער עס איז אין דרויסן) - May God help you that you should always be healthy and strong, and always be asking what the weather's like outside (on which, see Wex).
Gezunt in Jewish culture: 1. As you can probably tell from much of the above, health was considered an extremely valuable asset in Eastern European Jewish society, and the lack of it, a terrible liability (a point made by Alan M. Kraut in his book chapter, "Gezunthayt iz besser vi Krankhayt: Fighting the Stigma of the 'Jewish Disease'"). The sheer number of expressions and wishes concerning health testifies to this. Indeed, perhaps the best blessing one could wish the parents of newlyweds is expressed with the acronym gefen (גפן): gezunt, parnose, nakhes (געזונט, פּרנסה, נחת) - health, wealth, and delight (see Rivkind). From the other side, sickness was feared so much that it was referred to as euphemistically as possible. Here is what Weinreich has to say on the subject (p. 190):
The linguistic effects of tabu ... go much further than merely refraining from uttering God's name [...] In the Yiddish vernacular of Vilna it was not meet to say er iz krank (he is sick); er iz nit-gezunt (he is unwell) was preferable. And if the illness was serious, er iz shtark nit-gezunt (he is seriously unwell) is still preferable [...] Krank (sick), or es brent (fire!) is very bad; nit-gezunt (unwell) or es netst (it is leaking) is tolerable, if there is no way out [...]
2. Sholem Aleichem famously wrote that Lakhn iz gezunt, doktoyrim heysn lakhn (לאַכן איז געזונט, דאָקטוירים הייסן לאַכן) - Laughing is healthy; doctors prescribe laughter. For David G. Roskies' analysis of this witticism, see here. 3. If you've ever wanted to watch a Yiddish-language cooking program, check out Est gezunterheyt! starring Rukhl Schaechter and Eve Jochnowitz, the latter of whom recently came out with an English translation of a Yiddish-language vegetarian cookbook published in Vilna in 1938. (For an earlier Yiddish-language vegetarian cookbook published in America, see A.B. and Shifra Mishulow's Gezunt un shpayz un vegetarishe kokh bukh [New York: The Better Health & Correct Eating Institute, 1926].) 4. The title of the cooking show reminds me of a joke I once heard: "What would be the name of a ship owned by a Jewish mother? Es Es Gezunterheyt." :-)
Gezunt in a sentence: Yetst, az tate geyt aroys oyf pensye, vintshn mir ale er zol mamshikh zayn arbetn farn Yidishn folk, genisndik fun a sakh nakhes, gezunt, un freyd biz hundert un tsvantsik! Lekhaim! (יעצט, אַז טאַטע גייט אַרויס אויף פענסיע, ווינטשן מיר אַלע ער זאָל ממשיך זײַן אַרבעטן פאַרן ייִדישן פאָלק, געניסנדיק פון א סך נחת, געזונט, און פרייד ביז הונדערט און צוואַנציק! לחיים) - Now that my father is retiring, we all wish him the ability to continue working on behalf of the Jewish people while enjoying much delight, health, and happiness till the age of 120! L'chaim!
Use gezunt in your own sentence today!
Dvar Yoim Byoimoi and Eishes Chayil
For those interested, Dvar Yoim Byoimoi is a daily (Sunday through Friday) online publication -- written in a mix of Yiddish, Hebrew, and English -- put out by Satmar (and other) Hasidim living in New York to inform the public of the various celebrations (including weddings, engagements, circumcisions, etc.), yortsayt commemorations, and special events taking place/being observed that day. It also includes a classifieds section, daily weather report, and once in a while, a political lampoon. Its sister publication, Eishes Chayil (Sunday through Thursday), is directed at Hasidic women, as is evident not only from the contents but also from the language: it features far more English than Dvar Yoim Byoimoi.
Toyb, http://mymorningmeditations.com
Toyb - טויב - In Memory of Prof. Janet Hadda ע״ה
Toyb - טויב \TOYB\ Noun \ Feminine \ Pl. Toybn: A dove, pigeon.
Usage: When used as a proper noun, di toyb (די טויב) refers to the constellation Columba, which looks like a dove ("Columba" means dove in Latin). In addition, it should be noted that toyb (טויב) is also an adjective meaning "deaf." (Solomon A. Birnbaum comments about the confusion created by YIVO and its affiliates when they decided to develop a "Standard" Yiddish pronunciation that effectively caused the nominal טויב and the adjectival טויב to become homonyms, despite the fact that they had long maintained distinct pronunciations across the dialects.) Hopefully, the adjectival טויב will be the subject of a future YWOTW post...
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
German equivalent: die Taube.
Etymology: The word derives from Middle High German "tūbe," from Old High German "tūba," from Proto-Germanic *dūbǭ, itself from from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeubʰ- (“to whisk, smoke, be obscure”). Cognates include Afrikaans "duif;" Danish "due;" Old Dutch "dūva;" Middle Dutch "duve, duyve;" Modern Dutch "duif;" Old English *dūfe; Middle English "douve, duve;" Modern English "dove;" Faroese "dúgva, dúva;" Old Frisian *dūve, *dūe; West Frisian "do;" Modern German "die Taube;" Gothic dūbō; Icelandic "dúfa;" Old Norse "dúfa;" Modern Norwegian "due;" Old Saxon "dūƀa;" Middle Saxon "dūve;" Scots "doo, dow;" and Swedish "duva."
Derivatives of toyb: taybl (טייַבל) - a little dove, darling, sweetie; taybele (טייַבעלע) - an even smaller dove, an innocent; feldzntoyb (פעלדזנטויב) - a rock dove; lakhtoyb (לאַכטויב) - a laughing dove; nonetoyb (נאָנעטויב) - a nun dove; posttoyb (פאָסטטויב) - a carrier pigeon; ringltoyb (רינגלטויב) - a trapping pigeon; terkltoyb (טערקלטויב), tirkltoyb (טירקלטויב), turkltoyb (טורקלטויב), tirtltoyb (טירטלטויב), or turtltoyb (טורטלטויב) - a turtle dove; toybn-korn (טויבן-קאָרן) - corncockle (see the Yiddish-Latin-English Index to Mordkhe Schaechter's Plant Names in Yiddish); toybn-hodevanye (טויבן-האָדאָוואַניע) or toybn-tsiung (טויבן-ציִונג) - pigeon breeding; toybnlokh (טויבנלאָך) - a pigeonhole; toybnshlak (טויבנשלאַק) - a dovecote, pigeon coop. In Yiddish, the cooing sound of a dove is referred to as vorken (וואָרקען) or torklen (טאָרקלען).
Phrases with toyb: esn vi a taybele (עסן ווי אַ טייַבעלע) - to eat like a bird (almost nothing); lebn vi di toybn (לעבן ווי די טויבן) or lebn vi tsvey taybelekh (לעבן ווי צוויי טייַבעלעך) - to live in peace (as two doves); loyfn vi a toyb (לויפן ווי אַ טויב) - to escape quickly (as quickly as a dove); a por taybelekh (אַ פּאָר טייַבעלעך) - a pair of lovers; gebrotene taybelekh (געבראָטענע טייַבעלעך) - peaches and cream, a royal feast (lit., roasted squabs); oygn vi di toybn (אויגן ווי די טויבן) - eyes like a dove's (reminiscent of Song of Songs 4:1); reyn vi a toyb (ריין ווי אַ טויב) - as pure (innocent) as a dove; vays (groy) vi a toyb (ווייַס [גרוי] ווי אַ טויב) - as white (gray) as a dove (i.e., elderly); toyb shtil (טויב שטיל) - as quiet as a dove.
Expressions with toyb: 1. Ven dos meydl iz eydl, iz dos vaybl a taybl (ווען דאָס מיידל איז איידל, איז דאָס ווייַבל אַ טייַבל) - If the girl is refined, she will be a dove of a wife. 2. A vaybele iz a taybele un a tayvele (אַ ווייַבעלע איז אַ טייַבעלע און אַ טייַוועלע) - A wife can be either a little dove or a little devil. 3. Zey lebn vi di toybn un raysn zikh vi di kets (זיי לעבן ווי די טויבן און רייַסן זיך ווי די קעץ) - They live like doves and fight like cats. 4. A vayse toyb shtelt zikh nisht oyf a shmutsikn khazer (אַ ווייַסע טויב שטעלט זיך נישט אויף אַ שמוציקן חזיר) - A white dove does not settle on a dirty pig. 5. Gebrotene taybelekh flien nisht aleyn in moyl arayn (געבראָטענע טייַבעלעך פליִען נישט אליין אין מויל ארייַן) - Roasted squabs don't fly into your mouth all by themselves (i.e., you have to work hard to succeed). By contrast, Er vil gebrotene toybn zoln im flien in moyl arayn (ער וויל געבראָטענע טויבן זאָלן אים פליִען אין מויל ארייַן) - He expects roasted squabs to just fly straight into his mouth (said of a lazy person).
Toybn in Jewish onomastics: Alexander Beider notes in his various dictionaries of Ashkenazic given names and surnames that Jews living in the Middle Ages adopted the feminine name Toybe (or, more accurately, its various medieval equivalents) from their Christian neighbors and continued using it to name their daughters even after it passed out of fashion among the non-Jews (down to the present today, when it usually appears as Taybel or Taybele). In the modern period, when Jews were required by the authorities to create surnames for themselves, Toybe and its various derivatives or hypocoristic forms were often used to indicate "son of Toybe," e.g., Tojbman or Taubes. Not surprisingly, and as you've probably guessed by this point, the name Tobin belongs to this group as well. (For an alternative, although somewhat suspect, theory on the etymology of the surname Taub and related forms, see what Benzion Kaganoff has to say here and here.) Many thanks to my friends Daniel Goldberg and Daniel Tabak for providing me with digital images of some of the Beider references.
Toybn in Yiddish literature: The main reason I chose toyb for this memorial edition of the YWOTW, aside from the Tobin connection, is that the word appears in the title of one of Prof. Janet Hadda's most favorite Yankev Glatshteyn poems, "Tirtl-toybn" (טירטל-טויבן) - Turtle Doves (published in 1919). As she discusses in her article, "Transmitting Ashkenaz," Shofar 25,1 (Fall 2006): 114-126, at p. 115:
For 35 years, these lines of poetry [from "Tirtl-toybn" and two other poems] have invigorated and inspired me, coming to mind sometimes summoned and sometimes unbidden [...] They illustrate a time when Yiddish literature in America was so alive, so filled with energy, excitement, and musicality, that it could barely contain itself. These were poems begging to be declaimed, to be sung. Even today, they barely stay on the page as they reach out to punch me in the gut or to burrow further into my soul.
See, too, her "Twenty Years with Yankev Glatshteyn," Prooftexts 21,1 (Winter 2001): 90-102, at p. 91:
As a graduate student, I loved the marvelous playfulness and sheer linguistic brilliance of Glatshteyn's early poetry. I felt at home with his focus on how language works. In my immigrant family, bilingual jokes and anecdotes about malapropisms have always evoked hilarity, although sometimes mixed with embarrassment and the memory of shame. Coming from a milieu where the mystery of expressions, idioms, and slang was a common dinnertime subject, I suppose I was a perfect audience for Glatshteyn's witty, irreverent, yet loving explorations into what Yiddish can do, how far it can be stretched, where its boundaries lie. The first time I read "Tirtl-toybn," I could feel the word tirtl-toybn literally disintegrate as I followed the poem's memorable lines.
As well as her classic Yankev Glatshteyn (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980), esp. pp. 23-27, 119-120 (unfortunately only available in Snippet View on Google Books). And to hear a recording of Yankev Glatshteyn's own lyrical, contemplative rendition of this poem, click here and select "Click to listen (Y-01047-REL_A_01)" (start listening at 6:32).
Toyb in a sentence: Di toybn vos zitsn oyfn koysl-maarovi gebn undz ale di hof az s'vet nokh kumen a tog ven ale veln lebn vi di toybn (די טויבן וואָס זיצן אויפן כותל-מערבי געבן אונדז אַלע די האָף אַז ס׳וועט נאָך קומען אַ טאָג ווען אַלע וועלן לעבן ווי די טויבן) - The doves sitting on the Western Wall give us all the hope that a day will yet come when all will live in peace (like the doves themselves).
Use toyb in your own sentence today!
May Prof. Hadda’s memory be a blessing for us all
In Geveb
For those interested, In geveb (In Web) is a new online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal of Yiddish Studies whose first issue is set to appear in late summer/early fall 2015. The editors, Eitan Lev Kensky, a preceptor in Yiddish at Harvard University, and Saul Noam Zaritt, a PhD student at JTS, have issued a call for submissions (available here) and will be accepting academic articles, translations of Yiddish texts, pedagogical materials, and blog posts on a rolling basis. As they note, "Digital publishing allows for more dynamic content, including the embedding of images, audio clips, videos, and hyperlinks at the author’s discretion and the inclusion of original Yiddish language citations alongside transcriptions. In addition, articles will be published on a monthly basis so that extended periods between peer-review and publication will be limited." So what are you waiting for?!
In the story "di antdekung fun volin," Mendele describes the terrible suffering of a community that first goes through a conflagration, then a famine and a plague. He then relates that one of the town's holiest men dies, and when they bury him they put a "kvitl" in his "kitl," asking God to end their suffering. I know what a "kvitl" is, but what's a "kitl?"
A kitl (קיטל) is the traditional white robe worn by Jewish men at various points in their lives (like at their wedding, on the High Holy Days, and during the Passover Seder), as well as in their deaths - it is often converted into a burial shroud. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kittel.
How to pronounce the word בלאזן in Yiddish
The pronunciation of that word is subject to dialectal variation. Central/Southeastern Yiddish speakers would say bluzn (like the vowel in English “ooze), while Northeastern Yiddish speakers would say blozn (like the vowel in English “nose”).
Vos makht ihr? So I am in need of a definition. I came across a word "fyele" which I have not seen before. What does it mean?
I assume the “fyele” that you encountered is a letter-for-letter transliteration of Yiddish פיעלע, the more Germanic spelling of Standard Yiddish file (פילע), which means “many.” Whoever transliterated must have thought the yud in that word was functioning as a consonant, when in fact it should be pronounced as a vowel. The corresponding NHG word is viele.