A Yiddish aside

At present I am reading ‘The Death of Methuselah and Other Stories’ by Isaac Bashevis Singer; this perhaps is the reason that Yiddish words are buzzing around my consciousness.

I spend most of my time in an English-head, that is, when I am not within medicine; occasionally I slip into Hebrew although not very often.

Yesterday I was out walking with my son and I commented that I was ‘shveetzing’ – this the Yiddish for sweating; it was unusually warm for the 1^st of December and I was wearing a too hot coat.’

‘How come you know so many Yiddish words?’ My son asked.

‘I don’t really, I just picked up a few from my parents.’

My mum and dad were both born in Glasgow – their heritage goes back to Poland and Latvia as with many present-day Jews in the UK. Their parents or grandparents would often converse in Yiddish, in the early days, probably the late 1900’s and early 20^th century, Yiddish theatre and newspapers were still available in some parts of London and Manchester.

Will Urdu or Hindi become the Yiddish equivalent of people living in the UK today within a generation or two?

Who knows.

Yiddish certainly adds a flavour to one’s experience of life; the words so mellifluous, rich and many-layered.

Here is a selection of ‘f’ words which to me always seem particularly poignant; I can almost hear my dad saying them, perhaps on a Sunday morning pottering around the house.

I can’t attest to the absolute validity of the translations or the language as this is all a transliteration of a young boy overhearing the banter of older folk; nothing written, all spoken and influenced by Glaswegian accents;

Ferkreemtie – someone who looks so miserly and miserable that their face is folded-up on itself

‘That lady at the off-licence always has such a ferkreemtie face’

Fershleptebobbiemeyse – An old grandma’s tale – a story that is convoluted, rambling and over-long

‘I eventually gave-up listening to Norma’s story, it was such a Fershleptebobbiemeyse’

Fareeble – a falling-out, especially between relatives, often in relation to a trivial event e.g. forgetting a birthday

‘I long for the days before our fareeble with aunty Gretchen, when we used to on holiday together’

Farfallen – woebegone, collapsed from lack of inner energy

‘The old man who had lost everything was farfallen.’

Ferd – silly or stupid person

‘Stop being such a ferd!’

Finster – pitch-black

‘It was finster, I couldn’t see a thing’