Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Variant of chachka.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. a knickknack or trinket; a decorative item or souvenir of little value.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (Yiddish) an inexpensive showy trinket
- n. (Yiddish) an attractive, unconventional woman
Etymologies
- First attested in American English in 1964: From Yiddish טשאַטשקע (tshatshke, "trinket"), from obsolete Polish czaczko; consider Russian цацка (cácka). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“And what became of that $100 million tchotchke, which is set to go on a remains unsold (but is not part of the auction), or Hirst himself is a part of the "investment group" that Kristina: Awesome.”
“BTW, I'm in New Orleans -- the owner of the French Quarter's vampire boutique likes your work, and I have a tchotchke in my luggage that will be delivered at A-Kon.”
“We'll put down the tchotchke and you'll see a candle, you'll light it from this side, and that's enough information for him to accumulate without a teleprompter.”
The Huffington Post: Jackie Mason Rips Obama Over Hanukkah Celebration, Jewish Disrespect
“As tchotchke as it is, people put them on the ocean deck," said Mr. Dunkelman.”
“As tchotchke as it is, people put them on the ocean deck,' said Mr. Dunkelman.”
“Price, it seems, is no object in a wealthy neighborhood when shoppers spy a tchotchke they must have.”
“We've got charmingly overpriced neighborhood boutiques, designer shops on Madison, endless tchotchke bazaars crowding the parks and big, dumb chain stores lining Fifth Avenue.”
“NORTH DAKOTA NOT TECHNICALLY A STATE - North Dakota, that sparsely-populated bastion of meth and roadside Native American tchotchke emporiums that mostly serves as a land buffer between us and the bloodthirsty, war-crazy aggressors in Manitoba, is still technically a territory ... or something.”
The Huffington Post: HUFFPOST HILL - Debt Ceiling Transforms Everyone Into 3rd Graders
“With our reputation for mission-based publishing and the 'sticking it to the man-ness' of the stunt, readers knew this free book wasn't just a tchotchke: this was a call to arms.”
The Huffington Post: Kate Rados: Where Marketing, Mission, and Marijuana Meet
“With our reputation for mission-based publishing and the 'sticking it to the man-ness' of the stunt, readers knew our free eBook wasn't just a tchotchke: this was a call to arms.”
The Huffington Post: Kate Rados: Where Marketing, Mission, and Marijuana Meet
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘tchotchke’.
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Loanwords
Since English is littered with loanwords, everything could conceivably end up here. But there is a distinct feeling associated with these.. maybe they're young additions to the English language; I ...
iceberg, fjord, firth, abbey, abyss, anorak, apartheid, assassin, avalanche, avocado, balaclava, banana and 104 more...
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Yiddishkeit
There are a few short lists of Yiddish words, but none appropriate to the glory of the language, and none that are open. Thought I'd start one, and would love contributions. I'm tagging as I go, an...
schmuck, nosh, chutzpah, shtick, kvetch, oy vey, oy gevalt, shvitz, shtik, shiksa, putz, mensch and 94 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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New words
new words or spelling issues
voluble, Metagrobolize, salubrious, calumny, fugacity, withdrawal, bourse, hypertrophy, leitmotif, argot, improvident, damask and 234 more...
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Randomocity
Jeepers, Gadzooks, Golly Gee Whitickers,
squalor,, oodles,, pedantic, snarky, tchotchke, prima donna, hovel, canoodle, juxtapositions, nouveau riche, chagrin, factotum and 12 more...
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September Words-11337
During the month of September, post at least 10 new words to this list. Make sure you cite where you read the word (book/author/pg) and quote the context/sentence where you found it. If someone has...
flabbergasted, discombobulated, inclination, serendipity, savvy, profound, incarnation, myriad, confiscate, audacity, deciduous, adieu and 79 more...
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Extrude
tchotchke, lugubrious, inspissated, fissiparous, vituperation, quondam, absolutisation, artisanal, funicular, sacerdotal, abstruse, circumspect and 38 more...
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♥
ambrosia, inamorata, gossamer, lily-white, hummingbird, roucoulement, poppy, daisy, calypso, lunula, lamb, dove and 1526 more...
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Favorite Words
pablum, maundy, histrionic, adamant, ascribe, verbiage, insouciant, erudite, gregarious, superfluous, banal, obdurate and 280 more...
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catinthehat345's List
compere, reticle, colophon, miasma, eldritch, raconteur, plectrum, poltroon, vestibular, pastiche, cravat, acumen and 179 more...
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thing
apron, lard, clove, camphor, alfalfa, amber, caraway, juniper, kohl, lute, shale, glyph and 142 more...
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difficult words
ordure, tatterwallop, callipygian, odious, colophon, cynosure, hardener, emollience, valetudinarian, demonym, volage, polysemantic and 256 more...
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Potpourri
eponymous, aa, pulchritude, gizmo, macabre, sui generis, solecism, solipsism, eldritch, samizdat, queue, obsequious and 469 more...
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Reckon's Word List
Turned On
tintinnabulation, talisman, soliloquy, serendipity, quintessential, rhapsody, plethora, myrrh, palimpsest, panoply, mellifluous, loquacious and 102 more...
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jeffreytwhitney's list
abecedarian, assonance, prolix, avuncular, baleful, borborygmus, accismus, atavism, catachresis, coruscant, callipygian, carbuncle and 117 more...
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Logodaedalus' Lexical Locutionary
Discombobulating the illiterate since the middle of the last century.
adiaphora, agitprop, alliteration, apophthegm, autarky, bête noire, bezoar, biorhythm, braggadocio, canaille, confabulate, confrère and 332 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for tchotchke.
hgould3 Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears. Fourth Edition Sep 29, 2010
bilby Ultimately of Slavic origin. Sep 20, 2009
middlesmith My cousin Joanie loves tchotchkes. May 23, 2009
mikeropology also an inexpensive showy trinket.. Jun 16, 2008
ecrivaine33 Aren't Yiddish words so much fun?
Just heard this word for the first time yesterday during a business meeting when we got branded potholders handed out to go along with our "hot topics" for the meeting - cool idea, I thought. Jan 10, 2007