Mentsch (rhymes with Dench, as in Dame Judi): the highest compliment in Yiddish, reserved for the most admirable, decent, honorable and honest people, regardless of wealth or status
Feh! (always spelled with an !; rhymes with "eh?"): "No way! That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Emmis (rhymes with them-us): the unvarnished truth, without baloney or fillers
Bulvon (rhymes with fool-on): a loud vulgarian
Oy (as in oyster): a word used to describe all human experience, on a spectrum from "the sky is falling!" to "what a great putt I made on the last hole!"
Shtarker (rhymes with Col. Tom Parker): a dull-witted tough guy
Nebbish: a harmless, nervous nerd. Woody Allen is a nebbish in all his early movies.
Shmatte (rhymes with latte): literally, a rag. Used to indicate bargain-basement, often ill-fitting or worn-out clothes. Often said disingenuously. Friend: "Rose, what a lovely mink!" Rose: "What, this old shmatte?"
Shlep (rhymes with pep): drag around. A shlepper is one who is usually unkempt and ignorant, good only for dragging heavy objects from point A to point B.
Meshugass (rhymes with tissue-hoss): craziness
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