ay = long ī
ey = long ā
i = long ē
e = short ĕ
kh = gutteral h, like the -ch in loch
tsh = ch
zh = s as in Asia/pleasure
Yiddish words for bad people
Accents and CAPital letters indicate stressed syllables
Al-right-nik social climber, especially one who forgets his friends and origins upon achieving success.
Am Ha’Ah-retz/A-mó-rets =Country bumpkin, local yokel. from (Heb= people of the land)
Ba’al Agó-leh Brawn without brains from Heb: wagon driver
Barí-mer = Braggart, egotist. from Yiddish fame
Bát-len = lazy bum/layabout
Bawk = Goat, dummy, Fool באָק
Be-héy-me = beast, blockhead, cow, dimwit, dolt. from Yiddish cattle עבעהיימ
Bol-VAN/bool-VAN = ninny/ass/sap/clod/fool באָלוואַן loud-mouth /know-it-all; boorish, brutish person
Bots = Dolt
Bre-nen = Bum
Cha-im Yank-el = colorless, nameless person; mister nobody
Dray-kup = muddle-head, confused, clueless
DU-ver-a-kher = “other thing” in Hebrew, .i.e. unkosher = pig/ swine
Ek-lé-dik = Nauseating עקלדיק
EYN-gesh-pahrt = blockhead, stubborn, dummy
Far-bís-i-ner = Sourpuss from Yiddish embittered
Fréss-er = Glutton from Yiddish eat greedily
Gel-boykh = Yellow-belly
Gendz = Goose
Gón-if = Thief, crook, con man. from Yiddish to steal
Góy-lem = Dummy, mindless person, zombie גוילעם
Gon-if = thief, crook, con man
Grob-yan = mannerless asshole
Gruber yung = crude, uncouth youth, big talker
Húl-tay = libertine, rascal, scoundrel, bastard, rogue הולטאַי
Kha-lér-i-a = shrew, bitch (from the disease cholera)
Ka-li-ke = mental cripple קאַליקע
Kár-ger = Miser, cheapskate. from Yiddish cunning
Kham/kam-ooleh = boor, churl, roughneck, vicious peasant
Kház-er = pig, swine
Khísh-im = idiot
Khlop = boor/peasant/big youth
Khó-kem Éy-ner = Dope. from Hebrew wise man
Khú-ser Dáy-eh = woman out of her mind, crazy
Kíb-itz-er = Wiseguy {has nothing to do with kibbutz, Israeli collective farm}
Klutz = clumsy
Koch-Leffel = Rumor-monger, gossip who “stirs the pot” with stories and innuendo. from Yiddish a cooking ladle
Kol-bóy-nik = ‘Jack-of-all-trades', wicked fellow
Ku-neh Leml = Feckless fool who gets everything backward לעמל קוני
Kvetch, kvetcher = Whiner, complainer
Léy-kish = Simpleton
Le-mes-ke = Weakling. from Yiddish porridge
Lép-ish = Clumsy
Lig-ner = Liar
Looft-mensch = Airhead, space cadet
Loomp = Scoundrel/outcast/bum/pariah
MAM-zer = Bastard
Má-zik = Rascal or imp. Usually said of a cutely mischievous child from Hebrew a harmful demon
MEk-e-leh = Fool/simpleton; lit. “little king” = thinks he is king
Men-ivL = vile, despicable person, whose actions are inexcusable. from Yiddish scoundrel
Me-shú-gah = Crackpot, crazy person (sometimes Me-shú-gee) [Me-shú-gah-ner is the adjective, Mi-she-gás means crazyness]
Me-shú-med = Apostate, non-believer {used by anti-Zionist Jews to describe Zionists}
Nach-shlepper = Coat-tail rider, follower, stooge, a tag-along from Yiddish to drag behind
Nar = fool, clown
Nár-ish = Foolish, stupid, silly [adj.]
Nár-ish-kayt = Foolishness, stupidity
NEB-ish/NEB-eckh = luckless loser, sap, sadsack. from Hebrew pity
Nisht-gut-nik = A lazy good-for-nothing. from Yiddish no good + nik {Sometimes Americanized to “nogoodnik.”}
NUD-nick = pest, annoying bore
Noodzh = nagging person
Op-nar-er = Faker, deceiver. from Hebrew אָפּנאַרער
OYS-vorf = outcast, unpopular person, pariah
Pákh-dn = Coward
Par-ékh = Wicked person, rat, stingy person, disgusting person (someone with skin disease)
Par-SHI-vets = Scurvy fellow/SOB
Pas-Kúd-nyak = Scoundrel/ SOB /punk / corrupt, terrible person, disgusting, nasty, rotten, loathsome {WORST KIND OF PERSON} פּאַסקודנע is the harshest of all insults.
Pént-tyukh = Blockhead
Pép-keh = Fool/simpleton
Písh-er = Immature brat
Plát-ke-Mákh-er = Troublemaker
Plósh-er = Blowhard
Prop-n = Cork, inarticulate dumbbell
Putz = Prick
Shák-ren = Liar. from the Hebrew שאַקרען
Shlak = A blow, an evil nuisance. from שלאַק shlak “a stroke” or “a shellacking”
Shíkk-a, Shík-oor = Drunk, maybe an alcoholic. from Yiddish shiker, from Hebrew shikkōr, from shākar ‘be drunk’
Shlang =Penis
SHLEM-eel = Pathetic loser, klutz
Shli-mázl = luckless loser {“The schlemiel always spills soup on the schlemazel’s lap.”}. from German slim “crooked” + Hebrew mazl “luck”
Shlep = Dawdler, slow often late person. from Yiddish to drag
Shlump = messy, unkempt person
Shmá-te = Weakling, useless person. from Yiddish rag
Shmég-deh/Shmeg-gé-ge = fool/simpleton, incompetent. from Yiddish disappointment
Shmén-drik = clueless person, ineffectual nincompoop
Shmoy-ger = Good-for-nothing, Fool/simpleton שמויגער
Shmoysh = fool/simpleton
Shmuk = Dumb fool, loser. from Yiddish penis שמוק
Shnook = lovable loser, sap, well-meaning patsy. from Yiddish snout
SHNORR-er = beggar, borrower, sometimes a con man
Shóy-teh = Fool who does something stupid שוטה m, plural שוטים (shoytem)
Shóy-teh ben Pí-kholts = fool with woodpecker for father
Shóy-teh Góomer = complete and perfect fool
Shtus = Foolishness שטות m or n, plural שטויות (shtuyot)
Shtup = Screw, fuck, as in “Shtup es in toches!” [also means to give a bribe]
Shvants = Penis, as dumb as
Tam = Dummy טאַם
Típ-esh = Stupid male person [Típ-shah = stupid female person]. from Hebrew fool
Tó-khes-leck-er = Brown-noser, Ass-kisser
Tref-nyák = One who eats non-kosher food
Treger fun ligt = Teller of lies
Trom-bén-ik = Braggart, one who “toots his own horn.” from Yiddish: trombone
Tseh-dráyt = Confused, dizzy, mixed-up person צעדרייט
Tseh-dráyt-er kop = Bungler, mixed up thinking
Ún-ge-bluss-en = egocentric blowhard. boaster
Víl-de Kháy-a = Out-of-control, violent person. from Yiddish wild beast
Yente = Gossip-monger, busybody [from a fictional character]. from Italian gentile, "noble" or "refined"
Yold = dope/sap
YO-lep = oaf
Yonts = fool/simpleton
Yukl = simpleton
Yukh-na = vulgar, blowhard woman
Yutz = clumsy, awkward, gauche, graceless
Zhlob = slob, peasant/boor
Zhú-lik = Crook
Zís-varg-tokh-es = Candy-ass, timid, cowardly, despicable person
Zoy-ne = Whore
Thoughts
The largest categories seem to be descriptions of stupidity and insane behavior. Several are critical of people who don't know their place—they put on airs and act superior to people. A few focus on clumsiness or a lack of manners. Unlike English, very few relate to sex or excretion.
Pronunciation varies, apparently Yiddish speakers from different regions used slightly different vowel sounds and occasionally different consonants for these words.
Sources
The Golden Age Shtetl: A New History of Jewish Life in East Europe
Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern - 2014
Just Say Nu: Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won't Do)
Michael Wex - 2007
The Yiddish Dictionary of Fools
Marnie Winston-Macauley - 2008
The Yiddish Dictionary Online
Oy, Chicago Blog
Words on Fire: The Unfinished Story of Yiddish
Dovid Katz —2004
In Praise of Yiddish
Maurice Samuel — 1971
Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods
Michael Wex — 2005
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