schlemiel
“
It certainly wouldn't be the only Yiddish contribution to the American language, as any schlemiel familiar with Mencken and others will attest.
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American Heritage Dictionary (1)
- noun Slang A habitual bungler; a dolt.
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GNU Webster's 1913
WordNet (1)
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It certainly wouldn't be the only Yiddish contribution to the American language, as any schlemiel familiar with Mencken and others will attest.
— VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol II No 2 - Put the two together in the hands of a quiet riot name of Sheckley, dump them on an ordinary schlemiel, and you end up with ... — Smart Dragons, Foolish Elves
- Joanna reflected that she was beginning to feel like the poor schlemiel in North by Northwest, kidnapped and hauled all over the countryside, being shot at by strangers without any idea of what was happening, and on top of it all ... — The Silent Tower
- "You one revolting-looking schlemiel, I can tell you. — Impossible Places
- What kind of a schlemiel do you think I am? — Body Wave
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View all »Etymologies (1)
American Heritage Dictionary (1)
- Yiddish shlemíl, perhaps from Hebrew šəlūmî'ēl, my well-being is God, Shelumiel (a character in the Bible, Numbers 7:36) : šəlūmî, my well-being (šālôm, well-being; see šlm in Semitic roots + -î, my) + 'ēl, God; see אl in Semitic roots.
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Pronunciations
ahd pronounces "schlemiel"
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American Heritage Dictionary