Adrienne Gusoff > Quotes

“I ink, therefore iamb.”
― Adrienne Gusoff

“Stay healthy—you can always kill yourself later. Abi gezunt—dos leben kayn men zikh alayn nemen. If I’m alive, I’ll see you Monday; if not, Tuesday. Oyb ikh leb’n, ikh oyt zayn du Montik; oyb nayt, Dinstik.”
― Adrienne Gusoff, Dirty Yiddish: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!"

“Jews are pretty familiar with each other. In other words, they talk to each other as if everyone were an idiot brother or an obnoxious in-law. Everyday exchanges are filled with the snide sarcasm that’s often an earmark of family interaction.”
― Adrienne Gusoff, Dirty Yiddish: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!"

“Yiddish is a wonderfully rich, descriptive, onomatopoeic language full of colorful words and expressions. But Yiddish is more than just language. It’s a window into the Jewish mind-set. It’s a way of thinking, of seeing and categorizing the world. Yiddish knocks the high and mighty off their pedestals. It questions authority. It argues. It keenly observes the subtle nuances of human behavior. It’s philosophical about life. And, of course, it’s sarcastic as hell.”
― Adrienne Gusoff, Dirty Yiddish: Everyday Slang from "What's Up?" to "F*%# Off!"