Bupkis
- Thread starter mirandashell
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It's most often used to mean nothing, in my experience, in addition to the not worth a hill of beans thing.
"In the will? She got bupkis, can you believe it?!'
"Ma, What'd you bring me?!' 'Bupkis. You don't get toys just because I go on a business trip.'
"In the will? She got bupkis, can you believe it?!'
"Ma, What'd you bring me?!' 'Bupkis. You don't get toys just because I go on a business trip.'
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I heard if from the old folks. I always thought it was just a family word for zilch. Is zilch also a foreign word? What about grommisch (sp?) My g-grandma used it for greedy, cheap or grasping. --s6
Yep.
Yiddish is a language of ordinary life, used primarily in a home / family context; it's rich with food metaphors.
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Zilch is not Yiddish; it's possibly coined from zero and nil, but that's speculation via AHD.
Grommisch is new to me, so I don't know. It looks Yiddish
There's gemisch, but that's a direct German cognate, and means "mixture," or sometimes "mess."
Grommisch is new to me, so I don't know. It looks Yiddish
There's gemisch, but that's a direct German cognate, and means "mixture," or sometimes "mess."
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Bupkis is usually used in the context of having nothing, as in "I got bupkis (zero)." My parents would use Yiddish in my house when I was a kid if they didn't want me to understand what they were talking about. They only used the Russian version, as that was where their parents came from. Polish Yiddish was something they couldn't understand at all, but I digress.
A few years ago, a British acquaintance of mine used the term 'gazumphed' in a conversation. (It means "I got screwed" as in screwed in a business deal).
When I asked him where he heard the term, he pointed out that he grew up with it although he wasn't Jewish. Being a Cockney helps, I suppose. A very magpie-minded way of thinking and speaking, but altogether clever.
A few years ago, a British acquaintance of mine used the term 'gazumphed' in a conversation. (It means "I got screwed" as in screwed in a business deal).
When I asked him where he heard the term, he pointed out that he grew up with it although he wasn't Jewish. Being a Cockney helps, I suppose. A very magpie-minded way of thinking and speaking, but altogether clever.
On the old Dick van Dyke show, they had a commercial tune playing the song "Bupkis" and if I remember correctly, the episode had to do with something about royalties. The song's lyrics went like, "Bupkis is a lot of nothing and nothing is what I got--BUPKIS!"
My parents howled at that...the non-Jewish part of our neighborhood scratched their heads and went back to watching the 700 Club...
ETA: The entire episode is on YouTube. Just type in "Dick van Dyke Bupkis" and it's there.
My parents howled at that...the non-Jewish part of our neighborhood scratched their heads and went back to watching the 700 Club...
ETA: The entire episode is on YouTube. Just type in "Dick van Dyke Bupkis" and it's there.
Hmmmmm,
Well, you learn something new every day.
I always thought the word was Butkus as in Dick Butkus who played for the Chicago Bears.
Well, you learn something new every day.
I always thought the word was Butkus as in Dick Butkus who played for the Chicago Bears.
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This is American football, Miranda, not soccer.
WE can insult Butkus all we want. We're Americans. I mean, we don't go around insulting Beckham, do we?
(Oh, wait, yeah, some of us do....
)
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This is American football, Miranda, not soccer.
WE can insult Butkus all we want. We're Americans. I mean, we don't go around insulting Beckham, do we?
(Oh, wait, yeah, some of us do....
Just saw this! I am a Chicago Bears fan of 30 years standing. So NO! You don't get to insult Butkus! Not in front of me, anyways!