schmuck
Meaning
-
- (colloquial) A jerk; a person who is unlikable, detestable, or contemptible because he or she is stupid, foolish, clumsy, oafish, inept, malicious, or unpleasant.
- (colloquial) A deplorable, pitiful person.
Synonyms
shmo
crum
low life
shit-ass
scum bag
shmok
douchetard
shitstick
sonofobitch
crumb bum
smacko
crum-bum
ass maggot
sona'bitch'u
ratink
schtoonk
glifnard
shit-bag
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ʃmʌk/
Etymology
In summary
From Yiddish שמאָק (shmok, “penis, fool”). Further origin uncertain. Probably from Old Polish ćmok (“dim lighted”), or Bulgarian смок (smok, “grass snake”). Perhaps akin to onomatopoeic Russian смоктать (smoktatʹ) smoktat ("to suck") according to old belief that snakes suck milk from animals. Alternatively a baby-talk corruption of Yiddish שמעקל (shmekl), a dissimilated form of שטעקל (shtekl, “penis/willy”, literally “little stick”). Alternatively from the verb Middle High German smucken, archaic German schmucken, which has several meanings allowing possible semantic connections: 1.) “to squeeze, press, fit into something tight”; 2.) “to hug, snuggle, kiss”; 3.) “to adorn, decorate”. The last of these three senses is perhaps less likely, but compare German Schmuck (“jewellery”) with English crown jewels.
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Notes