- schlep (v.)[schlep 词源字典]
- "to carry or drag," 1922 (in Joyce's "Ulysses"), from Yiddish shlepen "to drag," from Middle High German sleppen, related to Old High German sleifen "to drag," and slifan "to slide, slip" (cognate with Middle English slippen; see slip (v.)). Related: Schlepped; schlepping.[schlep etymology, schlep origin, 英语词源]
- schlep (n.)
- "stupid person, loser," 1939, short for schlepper "person of little worth" (1934), in Yiddish, "fool, beggar, scrounger," from schlep (v.) "to carry or drag" (for sense evolution, compare drag (n.) "annoying dull person").
- schlock (n.)
- "trash," 1915, from American Yiddish shlak, from German Schlacke "dregs, scum, dross" (see slag (n.)). Alternative etymology [OED] is from Yiddish shlogn "to strike" (cognate with German schlagen; see slay). Derived form schlockmeister "purveyor of cheap merchandise" is from 1965. Adjectival form schlocky is attested from 1968; schlock was used as an adjective from 1916.
- schlong (n.)
- "penis," 1969, from Yiddish shlang, literally "snake."
- schlub (n.)
- "worthless oaf," 1964, from Yiddish, perhaps from Polish żłób in a sense "blockhead."
- schm-
- substituted for the initial sound of a word and reduplicated with it to convey derision (as in "Oedipus schmoedipus" in the punchline of the old joke about the Jewish mother and the psychiatrist), 1929, from the numerous Yiddish words that begin with this sound.
- schmaltz (n.)
- "banal or excessive sentimentalism," 1935, from Yiddish shmalts, literally "melted fat," from Middle High German smalz, from Old High German smalz "animal fat," related to smelzan "to melt" (see smelt (v.)). Modern German Schmalz "fat, grease" has the same figurative meaning. First mentioned in English as "a derogatory term used to describe straight jazz" ["Vanity Fair," Nov. 1935].
- schmaltzy (adj.)
- 1935, from schmaltz + -y (2). Related: Schmaltziness.
- schmear (n.)
- 1961, "bribery," from Yiddish shmir "spread," from shmirn "to grease, smear," from Middle High German smiren, from Old High German smirwen "to smear" (see smear (v.); compare slang to grease (someone's) palm "to bribe"). Phrase the whole schmear "the entire affair" is attested from 1969, originally show business jargon,
- schmendrick (n.)
- "stupid person," 1944, from Yiddish shmendrik, from the name of a character in an 1877 operetta ("Shmendrik, oder Di komishe Chaseneh") by Avrom Goldfaden (1840-1908), "Father of Yiddish Theater."
- Schmidt (n.)
- type of astronomical telescope lens used for photography, 1939, from Estonian-born German optician Bernhard Voldemar Schmidt (1879-1935), who invented it.
- schmoe (n.)
- also schmo, "idiot, fool," 1948, euphemized form of schmuck.
- schmoo (n.)
- fabulous animal, ready to fulfill man's wants, 1948, invented by U.S. cartoonist Al Capp (Alfred Caplin, 1909-1979); the name perhaps based on schmoe.
- schmooze (v.)
- also shmooze, "to chat intimately," 1897, from Yiddish shmuesn "to chat," from shmues "idle talk, chat," from Hebrew shemu'oth "news, rumors." As a noun from 1939. Related: Schmoozed; schmoozing. Schmoozer is from 1909.
- schmuck (n.)
- also shmuck, "contemptible person," 1892, from East Yiddish shmok, literally "penis," probably from Old Polish smok "grass snake, dragon," and likely not the same word as German Schmuck "jewelry, adornments," which is related to Low German smuck "supple, tidy, trim, elegant," and to Old Norse smjuga "slip, step through" (see smock).
In Jewish homes, the word was "regarded as so vulgar as to be taboo" [Leo Rosten, "The Joys of Yiddish," 1968] and Lenny Bruce wrote that saying it on stage got him arrested on the West Coast "by a Yiddish undercover agent who had been placed in the club several nights running to determine if my use of Yiddish terms was a cover for profanity." Euphemized as schmoe, which was the source of Al Capp's cartoon strip creature the shmoo.
"[A]dditional associative effects from German schmuck 'jewels, decoration' cannot be excluded (cross-linguistically commonplace slang: cf. Eng. 'family jewels')" [Mark R.V. Southern, "Contagious Couplings: Transmission of Expressives in Yiddish Echo Phrases," 2005]. But the English phrase refers to the testicles and is a play on words, the "family" element being the essential ones. Words for "decoration" seem not to be among the productive sources of European "penis" slang terms. - schnapps (n.)
- 1818, kind of Holland gin, from German Schnaps, literally "a mouthful, gulp," from Low German snaps, from snappen "to snap" (see snap (v.)). For sense, compare nip for "alcoholic drink quickly taken."
- schnauzer (n.)
- breed of terrier, 1923, from German Schnauzer, literally "growler," from schnauzen "to snarl, growl," from Schnauze "snout, muzzle," which is related to Middle English snute, snoute "snout" (see snout).
- schnitzel (n.)
- veal cutlet, 1854, from German Schnitzel "cutlet," literally "a slice," with -el, diminutive suffix + Schnitz "a cut, slice" (+ -el, diminutive suffix), from schnitzen "to carve," frequentative of schneiden "to cut," from Old High German snidan, cognate with Old English sniþan "to cut," from Proto-Germanic *snitt-ja-, from PIE root *sneit- "to cut."
- schnook (n.)
- 1948, probably from Yiddish shnuk "elephant's trunk," or altered from schmuck (q.v.), or perhaps from German schnucke "a small sheep," used in U.S. Yiddish for "a customer easily persuaded, a sucker."
- schnorrer (n.)
- 1892, from Yiddish, "beggar," from German slang schnurrer, from schnurren "to go begging" (slang), perhaps ultimately imitative of the sound of pleading or whining (compare sneer, snorkel, snarl).