# The Yiddish(?) Word Ferkakta(sp?): How to Spell It and a Couple of Other Q's **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254 "2003-12-27T15:04:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/1 "2003-12-27T15:04:28Z")
I’ve this word, ferkakta(sp?), in a couple of contexts. One was on a sports talk radio show in which the subject of a zoo bringing a gorilla to a nursing home (you had to be there) came up. The host imitates a residen’t response: “Eh Murray! Come look at this! There’s a ferkakta monkey in here!” The other was in _The Blues Brothers_. The boys are sitting around in the steam room, trying to convince Mr. Sline to loan them some money. Mr. Sline says: “Look at you guys, in your funny hats and your ferkakta suits.” Hoping to gain some insight into the spelling of this beautiful word, I turned on the subtitles on my DVD and found that, alas, Mr. Sline said merely “…funny hats and your suits” and left out the mystery word. So, how do you spell this word? Also, what does it mean, exactly? I gather from the context that it means “ridiculous,” but I could be wrong. Also, can it be used without a word behind it? As in, “Look at that Honda Element! It sure is ferkakta!”? ---
**Author:** ![adirondack\_mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@adirondack\_mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adirondack_mike)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/2 "2003-12-27T15:25:49Z")
From “The Joys of Yiddish” by Leo Rosten (a laugh a page if you like Catskill humor) ferchadat - dizzy, confused like your monkey farpotshket - messed-up sloppy - like your suits. Spelling? Good luck! Try [YIVO](http://yivo.org) for Yiddish for links or references for rules of Yiddish transliteration. ---
**Author:** ![hyjyljyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@hyjyljyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyjyljyj)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/3 "2003-12-27T15:26:30Z")
The spelling is verkachte. It is of Germanic origin, either Dutch or German most likely. The meaning is hard to determine, as the translation engines don’t recognize the word. Maybe because it’s slang? Some of the Deutsche Dopers might help. Seems to be used in the way we use “frickin’” or “friggin’”. ---
**Author:** ![adirondack\_mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@adirondack\_mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adirondack_mike)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/4 "2003-12-27T15:29:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adirondack\_mike \* > \*\* Try > [YIVO](http://yivo.org) for Yiddish for links or references for rules of Yiddish transliteration. \*\* :smack: I’m all farblondjet - I haven’t had any coffee yet Try [YIVO](http://yivo.org) for links or references on rules of Yiddish transliteration. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/5 "2003-12-27T16:13:16Z")
I’ve always heard it as _Fakakteh_. Meaning something like “lousy” or FUBAR. But this is “Israelized”, or maybe “Hebrewized” Yiddish, rather than americanized - so there are probably differences. As to the sources of the word - I haven’t a green idea 🙂 (OK - anybody know where **that** comes from?) Dani ---
**Author:** ![adirondack\_mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@adirondack\_mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adirondack_mike)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/6 "2003-12-27T16:35:26Z")
OK - I got my coffee Joys of Yiddish - slavic: chad - smoke or daze ---
**Author:** ![da\_pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@da\_pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/da_pope)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/7 "2003-12-27T18:36:26Z")
i always understood it as (kinda phonically) fur-cocked and i’ve heard it as fur-cocked-a as well. when spoken by older Jewish men, i usually hear the ‘fur’ as ‘feh’ usage was always ‘fucked up’ (fubar) this engine is fur-cocked. don’t you use oil? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/8 "2003-12-27T18:55:33Z")
Different books, different ways of transliteration. From _Every Goy’s Guide to Common Jewish Expressions_, by Arthur Naiman: > [@](#): > > **fercockt, fercockta** > More or less equivalent to “fucked up.” (Literally, “shitted up.”) Cock is a root that is seen in other expressions as well: alter cocker - old fart, but again literally old shitter. Cocked up - fucked up is the English equivalent transferred over from shitted up. Yiddish has a million expressions that indicate mixed-up, bewildered, muddied, messed-up, fouled, bad, fucked, and completely out to lunch. Only a true expert should attempt the fine discriminations needed to sort them out. A joke from Naiman: > [@](#): > > That ferbissiner! I ask him what he thinks of the situation and he says, “What do I think of this fershlugina, fershtinkina, fershlepta situation? I’ll tell what I think of it. I think it’s fershimilt, ferpachkit and fercockt!” Then ten minutes later, he comes by and says he feels OK about it. I tell you, Irving, he’s got me feeling totally fermisht, ferdrayt, ferchadit, ferblunjit, fertummelt and fertoutst! Now you know where Frau Farbissina (embittered, sour) comes from in Austin Powers. ---
**Author:** ![universe.zip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@universe.zip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/universe.zip)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-yiddish-word-ferkakta-sp-how-to-spell-it-and-a-couple-of-other-qs/221254/9 "2003-12-27T21:32:02Z")
To answer **hyjyljyj** ´s question on the etymology: **Exapno Mapcase** confirms my assumption that it comes from _verkackt_ - German would be _bekackt_ or _beschissen_ (two different words, the same literal and figurative meaning). Literally “shitted up”, used like “fucked up”, “friggin” and the likes.