Schmuck (pejorative)
"Schmuck", or "shmuck", in American English is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from Yiddish (שמאָק, shmok), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its original and literal meaning is penis.
Etymology
In the German language the word Schmuck means "jewelry, adornment". The etymology of the pejorative meaning is a matter of some disagreement.
The lexicographer Michael Wex, author of How to Be a Mentsh (And Not a Shmuck), writes that the Yiddish term and the German term are completely unrelated. "Basically, the Yiddish word comes out of baby talk," according to Wex. "A little boy’s penis is a shtekl, a 'little stick'. Shtekl became shmeckle, in a kind of baby-rhyming thing, and shmeckle became shmuck. Shmeckle is prepubescent and not a dirty word, but shmuck, the non-diminutive, became obscene."
According to Leo Rosten in "Hooray for Yiddish!", the pejorative use of the German "schmuck" derives from Schmock, which is closer to the original Yiddish word: and the transition of the word from meaning "jewel" to meaning "penis" is related to the description of a man's genitals as "the family jewels".
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Never Wanted Your Love
by: She & HimI can't help it, I can't win
I don't wanna let you in
And then you do it again
Take it off but take it slow
I don't wanna let you know
And then you do it again
I'm not talking to you anymore
Making my bed so I can lie there forever
I don't know what I'm doing this for
All I know is that I'm tired of being clever
Everybody's is clever these days
Take a win, take a fall
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
You're so close that I can't see
You keep trying to bother me
And then you do it again
Say you're right and I'll agree
I don't wanna set you free
And then you do it again
I'm not talking to you anymore
I'm making my bed so I can lie there forever
I don't know what I'm doing this for
All I know is that I'm tired of being clever
Everybody's is clever these days
Take a win, take a fall
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I'm not talking to you anymore
I'm making my bed so I can lie there forever
I don't know what I'm doing this for
All I know is that I'm tired of being clever
Take a win, take a fall
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
Take a win, take a fall
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
I never wanted your love but I needed it all
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The Capital Journal
26 Mar 2025
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