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Synonyms for schmuck


Grammar : Noun
Spell : shmuhk
Phonetic Transcription : ʃmʌk

Top 10 synonyms for schmuck Other synonyms for the word schmuck

Définition of schmuck

Origin :
  • 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.
  • noun fool
Example sentences :
  • Mr. Schmuck was an excellent "paterfamilias," and took great care of children.
  • Extract from : « Debts of Honor » by Maurus Jkai
  • Mr. Schmuck is one of the well known and highly esteemed citizens of Walla Walla.
  • Extract from : « Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 2 (of 2) » by William Denison Lyman
  • He gave to the city of Colfax what is known as Schmuck Park and many other evidences of his public spirit could be cited.
  • Extract from : « Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, Vol. 2 (of 2) » by William Denison Lyman
  • Mr. Schmuck sat in his chair with a sweet smile, and putting his hands together twirled his thumbs.
  • Extract from : « Debts of Honor » by Maurus Jkai

Antonyms for schmuck

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019