Schmuck, or shmuck, is a

pejorative A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

(, ''shmok''), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males d ...

Etymology

The Yiddish word ''shmok'' derives from

Old Polish The Old Polish language ( pl, język staropolski, staropolszczyzna) was a period in the history of the Polish language between the 10th and the 16th centuries. It was followed by the Middle Polish language. The sources for the study of the Ol ...

'' smok'' "

grass snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecies are recognized ...

, dragon". In the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

, the word '' Schmuck'' means "jewelry, adornment". It is a nominalization of the German verb ''schmücken'' "to decorate" and is unrelated to the word discussed in this article.

Euphemisms

Because of its generally being considered a vulgarity,Rosten, Leo. ''

The Joys of Yiddish ''The Joys of Yiddish'' is a book containing a lexicon of common words and phrases of Yinglish—i.e., words originating in the Yiddish language that had become known to speakers of American English due to the influence of American Ashkenazi J ...

''. New York, Pocket Books, 1968. pp. 360-362 the word is often euphemized as ''schmoe'', which was the source of Al Capp's cartoon strip creature the

shmoo The shmoo (plural: shmoos, also shmoon) is a fictional cartoon creature created by Al Capp (1909–1979); the character first appeared in the comic strip '' Li'l Abner'' on August 31, 1948. The popular character has gone on to influence pop cu ...

."Schmuck"
''dictionary.com''. Retrieved 17 Jan 2011. Other variants include ''schmo'' and ''shmo''.

In Jewish-American culture

Leo Rosten writes in ''

'' that schmuck is commonly viewed among Jews as an obscene word that should not be said lightly. Lenny Bruce, a Jewish stand-up comedian, wrote that the use of the word during his performances in 1962 led to his arrest on the West Coast, "by a Yiddish undercover agent who had been placed in the club several nights running to determine if isuse of Yiddish terms was a cover for profanity".

In popular culture

Although schmuck is considered an obscene term in Yiddish, it has become a common American idiom for "jerk" or "idiot". It can be taken as offensive, however, by some Jews, particularly those with strong Yiddish roots.

Allan Sherman Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

explained in his book '' The Rape of the A*P*E*'' that, if a word is used frequently enough, it loses its shock value and comes into common usage without raising any eyebrows. The term was notably used in the 2010 comedy film '' Dinner for Schmucks'', in which the plot centered on a competition among businessmen to see who could invite the biggest idiot to a monthly dinner. In her review of the film for the ''New York Times'', film critic Debbie Schlussel took issue with the movie's use of the term "schmuck", and with its use of Yiddish at all, adding: “The more correct title would have been ‘Dinner for Schlemiels'.” She added, "At ''The New York Times'', where the word is still considered potentially offensive, the title of hefilm may be mentioned only sparingly. Still, advertisements for the movie would probably pass muster", and suggested that the main characters in the film might be more appropriately called " shmendriks".

In bodybuilding

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

culture, the term "schmoe", or "smos", is used to describe a person, often a wealthy man who is less muscular and weaker than bodybuilders, who pays bodybuilders money for private posing sessions,

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, and prostitution.

References

External links

Yiddish Dictionary Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmuck (Pejorative) Yiddish words and phrases Slurs related to low intelligence American English words