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{{Short description|1968 lexicon by Leo Rosten of Yiddish terms in American vernacular}}{{Infobox book
| image = TheJoyOfYiddish.jpg
| author = [[Leo Rosten]]
| pub_date = 1968
| publisher = [[McGraw-Hill]]
}}
{{italic title}}
'''''The Joys of Yiddish''''' is a book containing a [[lexicon]] of common words and phrases of [[Yinglish]]—i.e., words originating in the [[Yiddish]] language that had become known to speakers of [[American English]] due to the influence of [[Jewish American|American Ashkenazi Jews]]. It was originally published in 1968 and written by [[Leo Rosten]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Rosten |first=Leo |date=1968 |title=The Joys of Yiddish |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn= 067172813X}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Mortimer T |title=The Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten |url=https://www.commentary.org/articles/mortimer-cohen/the-joys-of-yiddish-by-leo-rosten/ |website=Commentary |access-date=10 September 2022 |date=March 1969}}</ref>
The book distinguished itself by how it explained the meaning of the Yiddish words and phrases: almost every entry was illustrated by a [[joke]]. This made the book not only a useful reference, but also a treasured collection of [[Jewish humor]].▼
▲The book distinguished itself by how it explained the meaning of the Yiddish words and phrases: almost every entry was illustrated by a
As is inevitable with any book that references [[popular culture]], it quickly became dated due to the dramatic changes that American [[culture]] (and Jewish-American culture) underwent over the next 30 years. Rosten published revised versions of the book with different titles: ''Hooray for Yiddish!'' (1982) and ''The Joys of Yinglish'' (1989). In 2001, a new edition of the original book was published. Titled ''The New Joys of Yiddish'', it was revised by [[Lawrence Bush]], with copious [[footnotes]] added to clarify passages that had become outdated. Some material was also rearranged.▼
▲As is inevitable with any book that references
==References in popular culture==
In 1998, [[Charles Schumer]] and [[Al D'Amato]] were running for the position of [[United States Senator]] representing [[New York (state)|New York]]. During the race, D'Amato referred to Schumer as a ''putzhead''. ''[[The New York Times]]'' referenced the entry for ''putz'' in
[[Harlan Ellison]]'s 1974 [[science fiction]] story "I'm Looking for Kadak" (collected in Ellison's 1976 book ''Approaching Oblivion'' and in ''Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy and Science Fiction'') is narrated by an eleven-armed Jewish alien from the planet Zsouchmuhn with an extensive Yiddish vocabulary.<ref>{{Cite
[[Dave McKean]] and [[Neil Gaiman]]'s 2005
▲[[Harlan Ellison]]'s 1974 [[science fiction]] story "I'm Looking for Kadak" (collected in Ellison's 1976 book ''Approaching Oblivion'' and in ''Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Fantasy and Science Fiction'') is narrated by an eleven-armed Jewish alien from the planet Zsouchmuhn with an extensive Yiddish vocabulary. Ellison courteously provides a "Grammatical Guide and Glossary for the [[Goyim]]" in which, he says, "The Yiddish words are mine ... but some of the definitions have been adapted and based on those in Leo Rosten's marvelous and utterly indispensable sourcebook ''The Joys of Yiddish'' ... which I urge you to rush out and buy, simply as good reading."
▲[[Dave McKean]] and [[Neil Gaiman]]'s 2005 [[fantasy]] film ''[[MirrorMask]]'' includes Rosten's classic [[riddle]], discussed in '''''The Joys of Yiddish''''' as follows:
<blockquote>The first riddle I ever heard, one familiar to almost every Jewish child, was propounded to me by my father:
Line 21 ⟶ 26:
"What is it that hangs on the wall, is green, wet -- and whistles?"
I knit my brow and thought and thought, and in final perplexity gave up.
"A
"A herring," I echoed. "A herring doesn't hang on the wall!"
"So hang it there."
Line 31 ⟶ 36:
"Right, " smiled my father. "I just put that in to make it hard."</blockquote>
[[John Updike]]'s final novel in the Rabbit series, ''[[Rabbit at Rest]]'', copies Rosten's joke from the entry on ''tsuris''.{{cn|date=March 2024}}
== Translations ==
This book has a German translation published by Deutsche Taschenbuch Verlag, 11. 2002 and 4. 2003 {{ISBN
==See also==
* [[List of English words of Yiddish origin]]
* [[Yiddish words used in English]]
* [[Yinglish]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joys of Yiddish}}
[[Category:1968 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Etymological dictionaries|Yiddish]]
[[Category:Books about Jews and Judaism]]
[[Category:Yiddish
[[Category:Jewish culture]]
[[Category:Jewish comedy and humor]]
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