I have just a moderate hijack. I have heard from a few different sources that the word “schmuck” is actually Yiddish slang for the by-product of a circumcision. (i.e. the foreskin) Most people say it refers to the penis itself. Granted, the most scientific my research got was talking to a co-worker who had a foul-mouthed Jewish grandfather. Any truth to this? I think that if schmuck meant the former, it would be a much more vivid put-down.
Abe Babe: According to the supremely reliable 'fish, schmuck means “decoration” in German. I think I actually remember learning this in German II a while back. And there is no listing in this Yiddish dictionary, so I doubt it.
“Decoration”=schmuck"=“foreskin”?
Might work…
This thread makes me curious about the other side of the issue. If someone were not circumcised at birth, would there be any substantial reason for him to get circumcised later? (Not because of a religious conversion). Say, for appearance, cleanliness/less risk of cancer? Any personal stories or stories of friends relatives who underwent circumcision later in life?