Yiddish Word of the Day: KVELL
"Yiddish is like Every Language, Only More So" Leo Rosten
The main meaning of kvell (rhymes with yell) is to beam with immense pride, most commonly because of something your children did (or that you imagined they did). The classic joke (which I read in The Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten, but have heard from several sources) is that two women who were friends in college meet on the street. One of them has a stroller with two babies.
"Shirley! You have kids! They're beautiful. How old are they?"
"The doctor is three and the lawyer is two".
but kvell can also mean to gloat over the misfortunes of an enemy.
Published by Peter Flom
I am a statistician, working with a wide variety of clients, mostly researchers in psychology, education, medicine, social sciences and other fields. I also have given talks and written articles on learning... View profile
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5 Comments
Post a CommentLove it.
This article gives me nakhas (yiddish for joy!) :)
I grew up in a mostly Jewish town, so I know a lot of Yiddish. Fun article.
Fun!
Nice one. My father, rest his soul, used that word a lot. We never understood it and always wondered whether he was praising us or cussing us.