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Schmegoogle

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n. : a person so insignificant that if you Google his name, nothing comes Yiddish Words for Modern Times is a hilariously useful lexicon of neologisms that capture the flavor of life as we live it today.This clever book introduces more than 200 new terms rooted in real Yiddish, accompanied funny use-it-in-a-sentence examples and entertaining etymology.• Yiddish has long enriched English language slang.• Covers subjects including technology, family, dating, anxiety, insults and more• All terms are a unique blend of classic Yiddish with modern topicsIn this fast-changing modern world experienced online and through apps, of foodies, legal weed, and shifting social constructs, our need for the expressive wonders of Yiddish has never been greater. Bothered by that unanswered drift of e-mail piling up (e-charazi), stuffed by food or worry (gifilted), feeling like the dating app sends in only clowns (a zhlub magnet)? Schmegoogle is here to help.• Hilarious useful Yiddish neologisms for the 21st century• Makes a great gift for Jewish holidays or anyone who loves Jewish humor, as well as language nerds.• Perfect to for any occasion• You'll love this book if you love books like Yiddish with Dick and Jane by Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilman, Born to Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods by Michael Wex, and Yiddish with George and Laura by Ellis Weiner, Barbara Davilman.

132 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2020

3 people are currently reading
1102 people want to read

About the author

Daniel Klein

87 books238 followers
Daniel Klein is the co-author of the international bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar. He is a Harvard graduate in philosophy and an acclaimed writer of both fiction and nonfiction. When not enjoying the slow life on Greek islands, he lives in Massachusetts with his wife. He is seventy-five years old.

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Steve.
813 reviews39 followers
May 22, 2020
Wonderful, fun book

I loved this book. It’s funny and well-written. The entries are short and contain the original Yiddish words transliterated, along with an explanation of the new term. My only complaint is that the book was too short, because it was such a mekhaya (pleasure) to read. I leave it to author Daniel Klein to come up with a Yiddish word for the pleasure of reading e-books.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
Profile Image for Arlen.
107 reviews2 followers
July 20, 2020
Schmegoogle: Yiddish Words for Modern Times
by Daniel Klein
Pub Date 01 Sep 2020
read courtesy of http://netgalley.com

You had me at schmegoogle! Go ahead. Google your Cousin Hershel. Nothing comes up? He's a schmegoogle. Also, you'd better be a good tipper when your Uber driver is uber menschlich! Do you think we could get all of our click bait to instead be called bubbe maiseh-trap? And they're just from chapter 1!

It's more like reading a joke book than a dictionary, but either way, it's funny! Included are both old, i.e., used elsewhere and included here, and new phrases. Besides word entries with definitions, examples, and word origins, Klein includes stand alone asides that are mini comic sets in themselves. (I loved "The Roth Conundrum" on page 45.)

One thing it's missing is the pronunciation cues. The goyim might not get the references to something they might actually have heard if they don't recognize the word. Even phonetic clues would be helpful.

I hope you enjoy this review. I'd hate to think I'd done a good job only gifilted with schmortification. At least I'm not a phudnik.

This book would make a fun gift for any alte kakers you know.
Profile Image for Lisa Konet.
2,360 reviews10 followers
May 3, 2020
This was annoying as hell to download because the publisher didn't send a kindle format (BIG HUFF) and I had to contact Netgalley support yet again on how to read I (Super huff). At least I realized it was in a PDF format and I was able to read this in two sittings with only getting a sandwich as my break. Anyways....

This was absolutely hilarious and I will definitely be using these Yiddish words especially the title word. Each word has an example with how to use it in sentence, so you sound smarter and funnier words that people might not have heard of. I would really love to see a well known comedian read this book or at least have skit using some of these words.

Some much needed humor during the Coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to Netgalley (and your support), the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 9/1/20
Profile Image for Deborah van den Berg.
29 reviews24 followers
June 28, 2020
Very funny and thoughtfully written book. I actually learned a lot of new Yiddish words by reading this, which is absolutely an added bonus. The wordplays used by the author are smart, witty, and made me laugh out loud quite a few times (and that's a rarity!). I enjoyed the fact that a lot of Yiddish words were elaborated underneath the made-up words, as well as the fact additional information was given about the language and culture behind the words. I doubt I will read this book more than once, but it makes an excellent gift!
Profile Image for Courtney R..
108 reviews10 followers
October 26, 2020
I was provided an advanced copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is another novelty joke "dictionary" with an overall "theme" of one specific culture. It's well-written in terms of having given some actual thought to the lexicography of the book and the etymology of its contents.
887 reviews66 followers
September 12, 2020
Very funny. Very contemporary. Laughed out loud.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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