June 2009
6 posts
Loyfn - לויפן
Loyfn - לויפן \LOYF-n\ Verb: To run; to flow. New Feature!: German equivalent - laufen. (Notice that “au” digraphs in German generally become “oy” sounds in Yiddish - like Frau becomes froy and Haus becomes hoyz. This is one of the many ways in which Yiddish softens the harsher German pronunciation and is therefore a superior language, IMHO.) This German word may actually...
Jewish Sound Archive
For those interested, there is a cool Jewish Sound Archive, run by Dartmouth University, which features many Yiddish (and other Jewish) songs. You have to register to use it, but it’s great. Check it out at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~djsa/.
Pashkvil - פאשקוויל
Pashkvil - פאשקוויל \PASHK-vil\ Noun:
A lampoon, a sign posted on a wall announcing an event or publicly decrying a leader, authority, practice, etc. According to Menachem Friedman, famed historian of Charedi Jewry, in the book Pashkvilim: Moda’ot Kir u-Kerazot Pulmus bi-Rechov ha-Charedi (Tel Aviv: Yad Yitshak ben Tsevi, 2005), 9-10, the word has its roots in the Piazza...
Varfn - ווארפן
Varfn - ווארפן \VARF-en\ Verb: To throw (as in a ball; vomiting will hopefully be the subject of a future Yiddish Word-of-the-Week), cast, or toss. German equivalent: werfen, schleudern, töpfern. Derivatives of varfn: varfn zich (ווארפן זיך) - to wriggle or fret; varfer (ווארפער) - a baseball pitcher; varfshpiz (ווארפשפיז) - a javelin; varfshpizl (ווארפשפיזל) - a dart; and varflke (ווארפלקע) -...
