Henry Roth - Mercy of a Rude Stream - The Complete Novels

BRISJewish ceremony of circumcision taking place eight days after birth

BUKHERfellow

BULBASpotatoes

CHAItea

CHALLAHegg bread made for the Sabbath

CHARDASHHungarian dance performed at weddings

CHEDERtraditional Hebrew school for young boys of pre — Bar Mitzvah age

CHEDER YINGLEschoolkid

CHIBEGGEHnonsense word meaning chattering

CHOMPKEHchomp

CHRISTLIKHERChristian

CHUTZPAbrass, nerve, gall

COMMOYSHEHcommercial

DAMAwoman

DAVENpray; DAVENSprayers; DAVENINGpraying

DER ALTERthe old man

DERMAcow’s intestine prepared into a special dish

DER VILLER IZ MER VI DER KENNERhe who aspires excels him who knows

DIKTATSdictates, commands

DOS TSEYNDLthe little tooth

DRECKdung; trash

DREIturn

DREIDELa top marked with four Hebrew letters, used for games played during Hanukkah

DUMMKOPFblockhead, fool, idiot (German)

DUS HEIST KUNSTthat’s called skill

DYBBUKevil spirit or demon

D’YUKST AROS DE KISHKASyou’re rushing my guts out

D’YUKST VIE A KLUTZyou move like a log

EHRLIKHER YEEThonest Jew

EPIKOUROSEpicurean; loosely, hedonist, atheist

ERETZ YISROELthe land of Israel

EREV PESACHevening of the Passover

EREV SHABBESevening of the Sabbath

ER FUNFET SHOYNnow he’s speaking unclearly

ERLIKHpious

ER’S A MISHUGENEHhe’s a crazy person

ES HOT MIR GEFELTE LIBEI lacked love

ESSeat

EYTSERpiece of advice

FALASHAEthiopian Jew, isolated from mainstream Judaism

FALSHEH-ZUPfalse (i.e meatless) soup

FARBISENER HINTangry dog

FARLEYGTdisplaced, out of place

FARSHTEST?do you understand?; IKH FARSHTEYI understand

FEINERbetter

FERFALLENlost

FERTSFEILET(German) depressed

FLEISHIKfoods prepared with meat

FLUDENpastry

FOLENTSERlazy person

FORTZfart

FRAYTIK AF DER NAKHT IS DOKH YEDER YID A MAYLEKHon Friday night every Jew is a king

FRAYTIK BAY NAKHTFriday night

FREG NISHTdon’t worry, don’t ask

FRESSeat ravenously or loudly

FRESSERglutton

FULKOMENentirely

FUMFITspeaks

GANTSwholly

GANTS GELERquite yellow, ripe; acculturated

GEFERLIKHE GEMBLERKEawful gambler (female)

GEFILTE FISHdish of chopped, poached fish

GEHARGET ZOLST DI VERENmay you be slain

GELIEBTERbeloved

GELTmoney, gold

GEMÜTLICHcozy, comfortable, friendly; GEMÜTLICHKEITfriendliness (German)

GENUKenough

GERARAYinglish for “get out of here”

GESHEFTstore, business; pl. GESHEFTN

GESHREYscreaming, to-do, outcry

GESHRIGENcried

GEVALDhavoc

GEY GESINTEHEITgo in health

GEY GEZUNTfarewell, go in health

GEY MIR IN DER ERDgo to hell, drop dead

GEY MIR IN KEHVERgo to your tomb

GIB DIKH A RICKmove

GITOIKevil eye

GITTEN SHIDDEKHgood match

GLATTstrict

GLATT KOSHERstrictly kosher

GLATT KOSHER FRESSENeating kosher

GLAZELglass; GLAZELtea

GLEIBSTdo you believe

GLIKLIKHlucky

GOLDENEH MEDINAgolden country; America

GOLEMhumanoid from Jewish mythology made of clay; dolt, monster

GONIFFthief

GOTINYOOdear God

GOTT SEI DANKGod be thanked

GOTT’S NARGod’s fool

GOYgentile (noun); GOYAgentile woman; GOYIMgentiles; GOYISHof the gentiles (adj); GOYISHKEITthe world of gentiles, gentile matters

GROBYANgross, coarse fellow, boor

GURNISHTnothing

G’VIRman of great strength

HAARETZa Hebrew newspaper (“The Land”)

HAGGADAHcollection of stories and scripture for reading aloud on Passover

HAIRST VUS SER SUGTdid you hear what he said

HAMANTASHENstuffed pastries served at Purim, the festival commemorating the deliverance of Persian Jews from Haman’s plan to kill them

HA-SHO’AHthe Holocaust

HATIKVAH“The Hope,” Zionist hymn, now the Israeli national anthem

HAVDALAHprayers recited at the conclusion of the Sabbath

HERAUSout; HERAUS, FERSHTINKINEH DRECK!Out, stinking, dirt!

HINTdog

HIVNUHcontract

HULLADRIGASunseemly women

HULLUPCHEHSstuffed cabbage

HUNIK-LEKEKHhoney cake

ICH BIN DIR MOICHELspare me

ICH KHOM MIKH BEPISHTI wet my pants

IHR ZOLT HUB’N A GITTEN SHABBESyou have a good Sabbath

IKH FARSHTEYI understand

IKH VIL NISHT, IKH KEN NISHTI don’t want to, I can’t

IZ A FEINER MENSHhe’s a fine person

IZ NISHTit is nothing

JABAHfrog

JHITJew (Russian, derogatory)

KADDISHHebrew prayer for the dead;

KADDISH’Lson who will eventually say KADDISHfor the parent

KADDISH V’YISKADDAISH, SHMAI RABOHThe first line of the prayer for the dead

KAIVERtomb

KALYIKEHcripple

KAMERADsurrender (German for “friend”)

KAPUTfinished

KATERENKEhand organ

KEDUSHIMwedding

KEEKHLEroll, small dry cake

KESSEFmoney

KEYN AYIN-HOREH[may there be] no evil eye

KHAD GADYOone kid; the name of a song sung at Passover

KHAROSESbitter herbs used at Passover

KHARUSEHrepented

KHASSIDdevoutly Orthodox Jew, Hasid

KHLOPto strike a blow, to yammer

KHOKHMAwisdom, intelligence

KHOLLEHSabbath bread

KHOLYERIAcholera, plague

KHUKHIMwise person

KHUMISHthe study of Hebrew