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I know its a Jewish word and some kind of insult but what exactly does it mean?

2006-11-27 02:18:30 · 6 answers · asked by Sam 3 in Education & Reference Words & Wordplay

6 answers

The word schmuck has become common in American English meaning a detestable person, or a jerk. The word also means a stupid or idiotic person. In these senses, schmuck entered English as a borrowed word from the Yiddish slang for foreskin, (Yiddish: שמאָק, shmok), where it is an obscene term and an insult. In his famous cultural lexicon, The Joys of Yiddish, Leo Rosten lists the Yiddish schmuck as related to the Slovene word, šmok, meaning "a fool, an innocent, a gullible dolt."

PHIL M

2006-11-27 02:26:05 · answer #1 · answered by PHIL M 4 · 1 0

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RE:
What does 'Schmuck' mean?
I know its a Jewish word and some kind of insult but what exactly does it mean?

2015-08-18 11:08:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

It's not a "Jewish" word, it's a YIDDISH word. It means several things depending on context, but it's similar to calling someone a "d*ck"

2006-11-27 02:25:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1 1

Schmuck means Jewelry in German. I've heard people say, 'you schmuck' like it's an insult but I dunno where that comes from or if maybe that meaning is spelt differently...

2006-11-27 02:23:48 · answer #4 · answered by Andy M Thompson 5 · 1 2

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "A clumsy or stupid person; an oaf."

2006-11-27 02:25:11 · answer #5 · answered by Ace Librarian 7 · 0 0

In German: a small appliance
In Yiddish: a d*ck
in (US) English: a jerk

2006-11-27 02:38:42 · answer #6 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 0 0

It means 'airhead', 'fool', 'buffoon', 'moron'.

2006-11-27 02:27:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

It means Sam....jk

2006-11-27 02:38:04 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

its kinda like callin someone stupid, a fool, and things like that

2006-11-27 02:37:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

hard work these dictionaries arnt they

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/schmuck

2006-11-27 02:31:56 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1 1

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