# Shlong vs. schwanz **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 24, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662 "2008-07-24T21:59:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/1 "2008-07-24T21:59:45Z")
Anent the addenda to [Does “in like Flynn” refer to Errol Flynn’s success with women?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_156.html), my wife’s 1898 Yiddish dictionary (would you believe she’s been translating an operetta?) says expressly that _ **schwanz** _ can mean either. Note that there was no such thing as standard Yiddish until 50-60 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/2 "2008-07-25T14:44:03Z")
[QUOTE=John W. Kennedy] (would you believe she’s been translating an operetta?) [/QUOTE] Into or out of? And, um, why? . ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/3 "2008-07-25T15:59:26Z")
[QUOTE=John W. Kennedy] Anent the addenda to [Does “in like Flynn” refer to Errol Flynn’s success with women?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_156.html), my wife’s 1898 Yiddish dictionary (would you believe she’s been translating an operetta?) says expressly that _ **schwanz** _ can mean either. Note that there was no such thing as standard Yiddish until 50-60 years ago. [/QUOTE] Reminds me of the “cock” thing. While I was in the Navy ('64-'68), I was astonished that some of my buddies couldn’t wait to get to “PI”, so that they could get some “cock”. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/4 "2008-07-25T16:03:40Z")
[QUOTE=andros] Into or out of? And, um, why? . [/QUOTE] Why not? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/5 "2008-07-25T16:31:35Z")
I assume “out of.” As for “why,” the Yiddish theater was once quite big and many shows have not been translated into English. Since today fewer people speak Yiddish, which in entertainment 100+ years ago was pretty much America’s Second Language (and a smattering was still needed to “get” a lot of comedy 40 years ago), these shows can be lost forever. **JWK** ’s mom is performing an important cultural service. I just hope she leaves in those words that have entered American English. “Schlemiel” or “klutz” are funnier-sounding words than “bungler.” Unless you can get some alliteration going because “B” is a funny sound. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/6 "2008-07-25T17:36:44Z")
To answer the questions, my _ **wife** _ (ahem!) was translating _Bar Kokhba_, by [Abraham Goldfaden](Abraham Goldfaden) (1840-1908) from Yiddish to English. She was commissioned by parties wishing to mount a production. Offhand, I don’t believe she had much opportunity for _Mad_-style “This is a Yiddish word, so it must be funny” humor, as _Bar Kokhba_ is, as the title suggests, rather dark. (Yes, operettas can be dark. Consider _The Yeomen of the Guard_, _Bitter Sweet_, or Kálmán’s _Der gute Kamerad_. As I was leaving the theater after a performance of the last, I overheard someone saying, “This is a better anti-war play than _Mother Courage_.” I don’t say I agree, but there you are.) ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/7 "2008-08-11T19:06:10Z")
“So, Lonestar, I see you schwartz is as big as mine!” ---
**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shlong-vs-schwanz/457662/8 "2008-08-11T20:32:44Z")
[QUOTE=Mister Rik] “So, Lonestar, I see you schwartz is as big as mine!” [/QUOTE] “Now let’s see how well you … handle it.”