today's word 08.26.05 "schlemiel"
schlemiel \shluh-MEEL\ noun: an unlucky bungler; chump
"Schlemiel," from the Yiddish "shlemil," has sometimes been associated with Peter Schlemihl, the hero of a story about an unlucky man who sold his shadow to the devil, by German writer Adelbert von Chamisso. While this story may have helped to popularize "schlemiel," the word probably has much older roots. The Hebrew name "Shelumiel" is mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 1:6), and the Talmud describes Shelumiel as a man whose behavior earned derision and an unfortunate fate. A "schlemiel" in modern English usage is a chronic blunderer or loser, and is sometimes paired with the less common "schlimazel," another Yiddish word for an unlucky or bungling person.
"Schlemiel," from the Yiddish "shlemil," has sometimes been associated with Peter Schlemihl, the hero of a story about an unlucky man who sold his shadow to the devil, by German writer Adelbert von Chamisso. While this story may have helped to popularize "schlemiel," the word probably has much older roots. The Hebrew name "Shelumiel" is mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 1:6), and the Talmud describes Shelumiel as a man whose behavior earned derision and an unfortunate fate. A "schlemiel" in modern English usage is a chronic blunderer or loser, and is sometimes paired with the less common "schlimazel," another Yiddish word for an unlucky or bungling person.
posted by hellkittennyc at 1:37 PM
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