# Yiddish Shmiddish

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-shmiddish/106688
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [May 1, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-shmiddish/106688 "2002-05-01T17:13:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Motcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@Motcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motcha)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-shmiddish/106688/1 "2002-05-01T17:13:19Z")

</div>

From \<a href=“[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/myiddish.html"\>"Yiddish](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/myiddish.html%22%3E%22Yiddish), shmiddish–why do we repeat a word but start it with “shm-”?”\</a\>

I’m reasonably certain that “schmuck” is not of Yiddish origin. I suspect Italian slang, or something, but I have been unable to find it in any good Yiddish lexicon.

(And I don’t count Leo Rosten’s “Joys of Yiddish” as a GOOD Yiddish lexicon.)

[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/myiddish.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/myiddish.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-shmiddish/106688/2 "2002-05-01T17:52:19Z")

</div>

This has also been posted in the forum “Comments on Staff Reports” where it belongs, since it is a staff report rather than one of Cecil’s columns. Read it here: [Yiddish Shmiddish](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=112707)

Therefore, I am closing it in this forum.