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- Dictionaryschlemiel/ʃləˈmiːl/
noun
- 1. a stupid, awkward, or unlucky person: informal North American "he seems like the classic underdog schlemiel"
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Schlemiel (Yiddish: שלומיאל; sometimes spelled shlemiel or shlumiel) is a Yiddish term meaning "inept/incompetent person" or "fool". [1] It is a common archetype in Jewish humor, and so-called "schlemiel jokes" depict the schlemiel falling into unfortunate situations. [2]
Oct 7, 2023 · According to the Etymology Dictionary (that’s an explanation dictionary versus a meaning dictionary) , schlemiel is a Yiddish term that means an awkward or clumsy person. The word schlimazel (also spelled schlemazel) also comes from a Yiddish phrase “shlim mazel,” which means a consistently unlucky person, someone who just has rotten luck.
Dec 18, 2018 · According to the dictionary, "schlemiel" refers to "an unlucky bungler" while "schlimazel" is a "consistently unlucky person." The terms are Yiddish in origin and are often used in a...
Schlemiel definition: an awkward and unlucky person for whom things never turn out right.. See examples of SCHLEMIEL used in a sentence.
Jul 9, 2024 · : supreme self-confidence. About the Word: Chutzpah is not only one of the most well-known words of Yiddish origin we have in English, it was also one of the first to be borrowed. Its first known occurrence in English dates back to 1867; many of the other Yiddish words we've borrowed don't appear in print until the middle of the 20th century.
Jun 4, 2012 · A schlemiel is an awkward and clumsy person, very accident-prone. A person with such a name is mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 1:6), and the Talmud says he met with an unfortunate end. Their awkwardness is painful to observe.
The earliest known use of the noun schlemiel is in the 1860s. OED's earliest evidence for schlemiel is from 1868, in Scattered Nation . schlemiel is a borrowing from Yiddish.
