
Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Yiddish
By:Â Benjamin Blech
Paperback | 9 January 2000 | Edition Number 1
At a Glance
384 Pages
18+
23.0 x 185.0 x 226.0
Paperback
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You're not idiot, of course. You can serve up a mean s'il vous plait in a French bistro, live la vida loca for a night of margaritas, and manage a sayonara! after sushi, sake, and karaoke. But when it comes to throwing around a little Yiddish, you feel like a total nebbish! Don't throw your hands in a helpless "Oy, vey" just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Yiddish is your guide to this unique tongue, whether you're tackling rules of grammar or just throwing around some key phrases so you sound a little less goyish. In this Complete Idiot's Guide you get a fascinating explanation of how and why Yiddish developed, an easy introduction to the Yiddish alphabet, as well as the distinctive sound of Yiddish, and all the Yiddish you'll need for communicating with family and friends or for bargain-hunting on New York's Lower East Side. This book contains a treasury of Yiddish words and phrases for every occasion.
| Getting to Know Yiddish | p. 1 |
| So What Do You Think, Yiddish Is Dead? | p. 3 |
| Those Were the Days, My Friend | p. 4 |
| The Three Giants of Yiddish Literature | p. 5 |
| Laughing Through Tears | p. 6 |
| Universal Yiddish | p. 7 |
| Richer Than Rothschild | p. 7 |
| The Play's the Thing | p. 8 |
| Oy Vey--Why Yiddish Almost Died | p. 10 |
| L'Chayim--To Life: The Modern Rebirth | p. 12 |
| The Top Ten Reasons to Learn Yiddish | p. 13 |
| So Where Does Yiddish Come From? | p. 15 |
| What's in a Name? | p. 16 |
| Yiddish Is Older Than You Think | p. 17 |
| Why Not Hebrew? | p. 18 |
| Mame-loshen--A Language Spoken by Mothers | p. 19 |
| What a Mishmash! | p. 19 |
| My Yiddish, Your Yiddish | p. 21 |
| I Don't Understand You | p. 21 |
| Hold the Back Page | p. 22 |
| So Who Says You Don't Know Yiddish Already? | p. 25 |
| Some of My Best Friends Are Yiddish | p. 26 |
| And Then There's Yinglish | p. 26 |
| And Don't Forget the Grammar | p. 28 |
| Almost Identical Twins | p. 29 |
| So How Come? | p. 30 |
| So Now You Can Kvel | p. 31 |
| So Let's Get Started Already | p. 33 |
| It's as Easy as ABC--That's Easy? | p. 35 |
| Try It with Honey | p. 36 |
| A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words | p. 38 |
| The Sound of Music | p. 39 |
| Show Me You're Finished | p. 43 |
| Here's How to Say It | p. 43 |
| Try Speaking a Bisel (Little) | p. 44 |
| The Basic Words | p. 47 |
| The Ten Most Popular Words in Yiddish | p. 48 |
| The Sexy Words | p. 50 |
| Asking Questions in Yiddish | p. 51 |
| Getting Personal in Yiddish | p. 52 |
| Here's Looking at You | p. 53 |
| Let's Be Objective | p. 53 |
| Short and Sweet | p. 54 |
| Time for Some Exercise | p. 56 |
| Meeting People and Making Friends | p. 57 |
| Saying Hello | p. 58 |
| Opening Questions | p. 59 |
| A Little More About "You" | p. 60 |
| Giving the Right Answers | p. 61 |
| Infinitives and Introductions | p. 62 |
| Did You Notice? | p. 62 |
| Be Polite | p. 63 |
| Asking a Question | p. 63 |
| Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow | p. 64 |
| The Days of Our Lives | p. 65 |
| Is It Shabes Yet? | p. 65 |
| The Months and the Seasons | p. 66 |
| Side By Side | p. 67 |
| An Ode to Potatoes | p. 68 |
| Units of Time | p. 68 |
| Timely Words and Expressions | p. 69 |
| Wise Idioms | p. 70 |
| So How Old Are You? | p. 72 |
| Combining Numbers | p. 72 |
| What Time Is It? | p. 73 |
| Home, Sweet Heym | p. 75 |
| All in the Family | p. 77 |
| The Mamas and the Papas | p. 78 |
| A Yiddish Mama | p. 78 |
| A Lid far der Mamen | p. 79 |
| Der Tate: The Father | p. 79 |
| The Members of the Wedding | p. 80 |
| It's a Zun | p. 82 |
| The Rest of the Mishpokhe | p. 84 |
| Welcoming the "Green" Cousin | p. 84 |
| So What Are They Like? | p. 86 |
| Time for Some Exercise | p. 89 |
| Turning Adjectives into People | p. 89 |
| Kum Areyn--Come in, Please | p. 91 |
| Such Nice Rooms! | p. 92 |
| Looking All Around You | p. 93 |
| Help Me Find It | p. 94 |
| When "Men" Are Not "Men" | p. 95 |
| Wear It in Good Health | p. 96 |
| Such Beautiful Colors | p. 97 |
| Try the House "Specials" | p. 98 |
| Baked Stuffed Gefilte Fish--a la Ita | p. 98 |
| Light-as-a-Feather Matza Balls | p. 100 |
| What's a Meal Without Cake? | p. 101 |
| Your Handy Cooking and Baking Guide | p. 102 |
| Let's Eat--Esen, Esen, Esen | p. 105 |
| Don't Forget Breakfast | p. 106 |
| When Do We Eat? | p. 107 |
| The I'll-Do-It-Now Words | p. 107 |
| The I'll-Do-It-Later Words | p. 108 |
| So What's for Dinner? | p. 109 |
| Start with an Appetizer | p. 110 |
| Jewish Penicillin | p. 110 |
| Ready for the Entree? | p. 111 |
| You're Entitled to Two Sides | p. 112 |
| A Little Dessert? | p. 112 |
| On the Town | p. 115 |
| How Should We Go? | p. 117 |
| Let's Take the Car | p. 118 |
| Travel Tips by Car | p. 118 |
| Oy Vey, I'm in Trouble | p. 119 |
| Better by Teksi | p. 120 |
| ... or Public Transportation | p. 122 |
| Did You Sing on the Trip? | p. 122 |
| Living in the Past | p. 122 |
| There's Always an Exception | p. 123 |
| A Table for Ten | p. 125 |
| Pick a Restaurant | p. 126 |
| Two Sets of Silverware | p. 127 |
| The Yiddish Pocahontas | p. 128 |
| Words to Remember | p. 129 |
| At the Restaurant | p. 130 |
| Constructive Criticism | p. 131 |
| L'Khayim | p. 132 |
| Let Me Entertain You | p. 135 |
| How About a Movie? | p. 136 |
| Let's Go to the Theater Instead | p. 137 |
| Agreeable Adjectives | p. 137 |
| Who Says It's Not Nice to Compare? | p. 138 |
| Where Else Can We Go? | p. 139 |
| Let's Have a Ball | p. 140 |
| Life's a Gamble | p. 140 |
| Other Diversions | p. 140 |
| Hooray, It's on Sale | p. 141 |
| Where Did You Buy It? | p. 142 |
| Look for a Metsiye | p. 143 |
| It's Time for a Makeover | p. 143 |
| A Sheyner Yid | p. 144 |
| Let's Go on Vacation | p. 147 |
| Tell Me, Where Shall I Go? | p. 148 |
| Getting There Is Half the Fun | p. 149 |
| Thank God, It's Past Tense | p. 151 |
| Going All the Way | p. 152 |
| Milk and Honey | p. 153 |
| Room and Board | p. 154 |
| The Air Raid Siren | p. 155 |
| That's Life | p. 157 |
| Don't Get Sick! | p. 159 |
| Discussing Body Parts | p. 160 |
| S'tut Vey--It Hurts | p. 161 |
| And That's the Truth | p. 162 |
| I'm Not a Hypochondriac | p. 164 |
| If You Don't Know, Ask | p. 165 |
| Gevalt! | p. 166 |
| Don't Make Me Younger | p. 167 |
| The Expensive Funeral | p. 167 |
| Get a Good Job | p. 169 |
| Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief? | p. 170 |
| What Should I Become? | p. 170 |
| So Many Choices | p. 171 |
| Call Me | p. 172 |
| Happiness Is | p. 172 |
| Show Me the Money | p. 173 |
| Lots and Lots | p. 174 |
| The -en Ending | p. 174 |
| Ten Dollars, Lots of Dollars | p. 175 |
| Move Your -s | p. 176 |
| To -er Is Human | p. 177 |
| Leave Me Alone | p. 178 |
| God Bless You | p. 179 |
| What Should We Call You, God? | p. 180 |
| Thou Shalt Not Take My Name in Vain | p. 180 |
| "Kosher" Nicknames | p. 181 |
| The Respectful Son-in-Law | p. 183 |
| God Talk | p. 184 |
| Spiritual Words | p. 186 |
| You Gotta Follow the Rules | p. 193 |
| Let's Be Definite | p. 194 |
| Being Accusative | p. 195 |
| Making a Dative | p. 195 |
| Please Cut It Short | p. 197 |
| The Ingenious Genitive | p. 197 |
| Learn to Be More Possessive | p. 198 |
| When Yiddish Is Hebrew | p. 199 |
| As Long as You're Well | p. 200 |
| The Popular, the Powerful, and the Profound | p. 203 |
| Comparisons, Curses, and Blessings | p. 205 |
| Biblical Similes | p. 206 |
| Descriptive Expressions | p. 208 |
| Rewarding the Philanthropist | p. 210 |
| It's Imperative | p. 212 |
| Put-Downs and Perfect Squelches | p. 212 |
| Curses for All Seasons | p. 214 |
| Blessings and Good Wishes | p. 215 |
| Morons and Misfits | p. 219 |
| Mentshen and Meyvinim | p. 235 |
| When the Saints Come Marching In | p. 236 |
| Meeting Mentshen | p. 236 |
| The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful | p. 238 |
| The Terrible "D" Word | p. 240 |
| Say It Ain't So | p. 241 |
| Yiddish Selections | p. 243 |
| The Wisdom of Proverbs | p. 245 |
| Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing | p. 246 |
| Es, Es--Eat, Eat | p. 248 |
| All in the Family | p. 249 |
| Good Advice | p. 250 |
| Friends and Enemies | p. 252 |
| Grow Old Along with Me | p. 253 |
| Thinking About It | p. 254 |
| "Velvel" Shakespeare--and Other Classics | p. 257 |
| Romeo, Shmoeo--What's in a Name? | p. 258 |
| Ham Is Bad, but Hamlet's Great | p. 260 |
| "Avrohom" Lincoln | p. 263 |
| The Gettysburg Address (Original Version) | p. 263 |
| And Now for the Yiddish | p. 264 |
| Some Phrases to Remember | p. 264 |
| The Ten Commandments | p. 265 |
| The First Commandment | p. 266 |
| The Second Commandment | p. 266 |
| The Third Commandment | p. 266 |
| The Fourth Commandment | p. 266 |
| The Fifth Commandment | p. 267 |
| The Sixth Commandment | p. 267 |
| The Seventh Commandment | p. 267 |
| The Eighth Commandment | p. 267 |
| The Ninth Commandment | p. 267 |
| The Tenth Commandment | p. 267 |
| Exercising Your Mind | p. 268 |
| From Shakespeare | p. 268 |
| From Abraham Lincoln | p. 268 |
| From God | p. 269 |
| Pop Culture in Yiddish Clothing | p. 271 |
| The Top Ten Movie Quotes | p. 272 |
| Slogans and Famous Sayings | p. 273 |
| Guess Who Said It? | p. 276 |
| The Envelope, Please | p. 278 |
| What Did They Say? | p. 279 |
| The Man and the Message | p. 280 |
| Take Note of These | p. 283 |
| Voices of the Masters | p. 285 |
| Hello, Sholom Aleichem | p. 286 |
| The Treasure | p. 286 |
| Try This Test | p. 287 |
| The Popular Peretz | p. 288 |
| The Head or the Heart? | p. 288 |
| Introducing the Cast | p. 289 |
| How High Is High? | p. 289 |
| Fill in the Missing Word | p. 291 |
| A Nobel Singer | p. 292 |
| The Washer Woman | p. 292 |
| Try to Write Like a Singer | p. 294 |
| With a Song in My Heart | p. 294 |
| Out of the Depths of Despair | p. 296 |
| Song of the Partisans | p. 296 |
| Now That's Funny | p. 299 |
| The Punch Line Is Yiddish | p. 300 |
| Say It Again, Sarah | p. 300 |
| The First Jewish President | p. 300 |
| The Yid-English Dictionary | p. 302 |
| Yiddish Types | p. 304 |
| Oy, Vey, the Rabbi | p. 305 |
| Listen to Your Rabbi | p. 306 |
| Some Words to Remember | p. 308 |
| Fill in the Missing Word | p. 308 |
| Only in America | p. 309 |
| Can You Figure It Out? | p. 310 |
| You Figure Out the Punch Line | p. 311 |
| The Jewish Atheist | p. 311 |
| How Moses Won | p. 312 |
| Taking No Chances | p. 312 |
| Getting the Last Laugh | p. 312 |
| Why Always Jews? | p. 313 |
| A Little Exercise Wouldn't Hurt You | p. 315 |
| It Sounds Just Like It (Chapter 3) | p. 315 |
| That's a Good Idea (Chapter 4) | p. 316 |
| I Do Declare (Chapter 5) | p. 317 |
| Let's Have Sex Again (Chapter 5) | p. 317 |
| Living in the Present (Chapter 5) | p. 318 |
| Objectively Speaking (Chapter 5) | p. 319 |
| I Can't Live Without You (Chapter 5) | p. 319 |
| Meet and Greet (Chapter 6) | p. 319 |
| Infinitives Aren't Infinite (Chapter 6) | p. 320 |
| Got the Time? (Chapter 7) | p. 320 |
| Countdown (Chapter 7) | p. 321 |
| You Can't Choose Your Relatives (Chapter 8) | p. 321 |
| Clothes Make the Man and Woman (Chapter 9) | p. 322 |
| A Rainbow Coalition (Chapter 9) | p. 322 |
| Coming Right Up (Chapter 10) | p. 323 |
| I'll Get to It (Chapter 10) | p. 323 |
| What's the Problem? (Chapter 11) | p. 324 |
| What's Past Is Past (Chapter 11) | p. 325 |
| Let's Compare (Chapter 13) | p. 325 |
| You'll Find It At ... (Chapter 13) | p. 326 |
| What Hurts? (Chapter 15) | p. 328 |
| So What Do You Do for a Living? (Chapter 16) | p. 328 |
| Tell Me More (Chapter 16) | p. 329 |
| Wise as King Solomon (Chapter 22) | p. 330 |
| Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow | p. 331 |
| Appendixes | |
| Suggested Reading | p. 333 |
| Take Me to the Movies | p. 337 |
| Music to My Ears | p. 341 |
| Answer Key | p. 345 |
| Index | p. 353 |
| Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780028633879
ISBN-10: 0028633873
Series: Idiot's Guides
Published: 9th January 2000
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 384
Audience: Primary, Secondary and High School
For Ages: 18+ years old
Publisher: ALPHA BOOKS
Country of Publication: US
Edition Number: 1
Dimensions (cm): 23.0 x 185.0 x 226.0
Weight (kg): 522.0
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