Affliction
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8. Chaval al ha zman -- [cha-vahl ahl ha-Z-mahn] (slang) amazing; great. Thailand was chaval al ha zman. This phrase translated literally means "shame on the time" which makes no sense, but everyone -- and we mean everyone -- uses it to describe a wonderful experience.
9. Neshika -- [neh-SHI-kah] kiss. Give me a big neshika. An extremely affectionate and warm people, Israelis tend to give each other abundant hugs and kisses, even if they have just met.
10. Ani ohev otach/Ani ohevet otchah -- [AH-nee oh-hev oh-tach/AH-nee oh-hevett oht-cha] I love you (male to a female)/(female to a male). Dad, ani ohevet otchah. Saying I love you in a different language adds some spice to those three little words.
11. Neshama -- [neh-sha-mah] soul; (slang) darling. Neshama, could you make me some coffee? A beautiful and spiritual word, you'll often hear both men and women using it as a term of endearment with each other, with children and with friends.
12. Mishpacha -- [Mish-PA-cha] family. I have a lot of mishpacha in Ashdod. Israelis are fiercely loyal to their families, which tend to be large in number.
13. Frier -- [fry-ehr] (slang) sucker. Do I look like a frier to you? Being duped is one of the worst things that could happen to an Israeli. They don't like being taken advantage of or fooled, and they don't like being accused of doing it to someone else, so keep this word handy when haggling for prices at the shuk (bazaar).
14. Ezeh bassa -- [eh-zah BAHS-ah] (slang) what a disappointment. Ezeh bassa, there's no good music at this party. Speak this phrase -- another loaner from Arabic-- within earshot of an Israeli, and you'll receive warm acknowledgement for being "in the know." This is by far the coolest -- though definitely not the only -- way to express displeasure in Hebrew.
15. At chamuda/ata chamud -- [aht chah-moo-dah/aht-ah chah-mood] you're cute (to a female)/(to a male). Hey you, at chamuda.
16. Chagiga -- [cha-gi-ga] party; celebration. There will be an enormous chagiga in Tel Aviv on Independence Day.
17. Meshugah -- [meh-shoo-gah] crazy person. Slow down, you're driving like a meshugah! You should have at least one insult in your arsenal in order to get through a trip to Israel, and this is a good one: not too offensive and applicable in many situations and to many people.
18. Tikvah -- [teek-vah] hope. We still have tikvah that there will be peace. The Israeli national anthem is called "Hatikvah" -- The Hope -- and this word is so fundamental to the Jewish homeland's existence that every Jew in the world should know it.
19. baleboste--A good homemaker, a woman who’s in charge of her home and will make sure you remember it.
20. bissel -- Or bisl – a little bit.
21. bubbe -- Or bobe. It means Grandmother, and bobeshi is the more affectionate form. Bubele is a similarly affectionate word, though it isn’t in Yiddish dictionaries.
22. bupkes -- Not a word for polite company. Bubkes or bobkes may be related to the Polish word for “beans”, but it really means “goat droppings” or “horse droppings.” “After all the work I did, I got bupkes!”
23. chutzpah -- Or khutspe. Nerve, extreme arrogance, brazen presumption. In English, chutzpah often connotes courage or confidence, but among Yiddish speakers, it is not a compliment.
24. gornisht -- More polite than bupkes, and also implies a strong sense of nothing; used in phrases such as “gornisht helfn” (beyond help).
25. goy -- A non-Jew, a Gentile. As in Hebrew, one Gentile is a goy, many Gentiles are goyim, the non-Jewish world in general is “the goyim.” Goyish is the adjective form. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich is goyish. Putting mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich on white bread is even more goyish.
26. kvetsh -- In popular English, kvetch means “complain, whine or fret,” but in Yiddish, kvetsh literally means “to press or squeeze,” like a wrong-sized shoe. Reminds you of certain chronic complainers, doesn’t it?
27. maven -- Pronounced meyven. An expert, often used sarcastically.
28. mishpocheh -- Or mishpokhe or mishpucha. It means “family,” as in “Relax, you’re mishpocheh. I’ll sell it to you at wholesale.”
29. shalom -- It means “deep peace,” and isn’t that a more meaningful greeting than “Hi, how are ya?”
30. tchotchke -- Or tshatshke. Knick-knack, little toy, collectible or giftware. It also appears in sentences such as, “My brother divorced his wife for some little tchatchke.” You can figure that one out.
31. yente -- Female busybody or gossip. At one time, high-class parents gave this name to their girls (after all, it has the same root as “gentle”), but it gained the Yiddish meaning of “she-devil”. The matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof” was named Yente (and she certainly was a yente though maybe not very high-class), so many people mistakenly think that yente means matchmaker.