Just Say Nu: Yiddish for Every Occasion (When English Just Won't Do)

From Barnes & Noble

"Hey, I lost my phone number. Can I have yours?" If those tired old pickup lines aren't working, maybe it's time to switch languages. Michael Wex's phonetic Yiddish primer enables you to ask "KIMST OFT AHER?" (Come here often?); "BEI DEER TSEE BEI MEER?" (Your place or mine?); or "IKH BIN tchiKAveh TSEH VISN FAR VOOS DEE TRUGST NISH' KA' TALis." (I'd really like to know why you aren't wearing a prayer shawl.) On other topics, the author of Born to Kvetch is equally informative and funny. Just Say Nu contains 300 pages of linguistic glimpses into Jewish culture, history, and folklore.

Jerusalem Post

"So you enjoyed Michael Wex’s Born to Kvetch, a North American introduction to Yiddish…? Even if you have no social connection with the haredi Ashkenazic community, you will probably also enjoy Just Say Nu - Yiddish for Every Occasion…. [I]t’s a delight."

New York Post

"More than just a dictionary, Wex’s book waxes on the possible Biblical origins of certain phrases and offers useful phrases as well. Wex’s parents must be kvelling."

New York Post

“More than just a dictionary, Wex’s book waxes on the possible Biblical origins of certain phrases and offers useful phrases as well. Wex’s parents must be kvelling.”

Jerusalem Post

“So you enjoyed Michael Wex’s Born to Kvetch, a North American introduction to Yiddish…? Even if you have no social connection with the haredi Ashkenazic community, you will probably also enjoy Just Say Nu - Yiddish for Every Occasion…. [I]t’s a delight.”

William Grimes

With verve, elan and something only a non-Yiddish speaker would call chutzpah, Michael Wex returns to the linguistic mother lode that yielded Born to Kvetch, his brilliant cultural history of Yiddish. This time around, in Just Say Nu, he gets down to the everyday business of putting Yiddish to use. When a tipesh (moron) dawdles in front of you on the highway, selecting the right curse matters. Mr. Wex, like a Yiddish sommelier, knows just the expression for this or any other occasion. The book is packaged as a primer, with a mild pretense of being an instruction manual. Mr. Wex lists Yiddish numerals, explains pronouns and includes drawings of a man and a woman with the principal body parts identified in Yiddish. This is all beside the point. Most readers will skip over the grammar and syntax and head right to Mr. Wex's comic explanations of Yiddish phrases, and how to get maximum impact out of a language strong on aggression, contempt and abuse.
—The New York Times

Publishers Weekly

This is not your bubbe's-or Leo Rosten's-Yiddish. Translator, novelist and performer Wex follows his witty and erudite Born to Kvetchwith a colorful, uncensored guide to the idiomatic, use of Yiddish in such areas as "madness, fury, and driving," "mob Yiddish," insults and "thirteen designations for the human rear (in declining order of politeness)." Wex is knowledgeable about the biblical and Talmudic roots of some colloquial phrases; for example, he points out that tukhes("ass" as he translates it) may be derived from Tuhkhes, one of the places where the Israelites sojourned on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. While most of Wex's discussions of words and phrases are brief, he provides lengthier sections on five key, highly nuanced Yiddish words: nu("Well?"), shoyn("already, right away"), epes("something, somewhat"), takeh("precisely") and nebakh("alas"). Wex's advice on the complex usage of these words can help even the greenest Yiddish speaker. The book could have given more attention to regional dialects and there are a few organizational quirks. Still, Wex offers both fun and instruction for the non-maven. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Praise for JUST SAY NU: “With verve, élan and something only a non-Yiddish speaker would call chutzpah, Michael Wex returns to the linguistic mother lode that yielded Born to Kvetch, his brilliant cultural history of Yiddish. This time around in Just Say Nu, he gets down to the everyday business of putting Yiddish to use.”

—NY Times

“This is not your bubbe’s—or Leo Rosten’s—Yiddish. Translator, novelist and performer Wex follows his witty and erudite Born to Kvetch with a colorful, uncensored guide to the idiomatic, use of Yiddish in such areas as “madness, fury and driving.” Wex’s advice on the complex usage of these words can help even the greenest Yiddish speaker.”

—Publisher’s Weekly

Praise for BORN TO KVETCH:

“This treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history and folklore offers a fascinating look at how, through the centuries, a unique and enduring language has reflected an equally unique and enduring culture.”–Publishers Weekly “Wise, witty and altogether wonderful…Mr. Wex has perfect pitch.” –William Grimes, The New York Times“All the wonderful elements of Yiddish language and culture are represented here. Highly recommended” –Library Journal “A great read for those who know and love Yiddish, and those who just drop the occasional ‘schmuck’ into the conversation.” –New York Press