My Grandmother's Yiddish Sayings

Here are some great Yiddish saying that both of my grandfathers used to tell me, and others ones I've collected, too! Do you know any others? E-mail me at (morgan@westegg.com) and let me know!!! What did your grandparents used to tell you???
Read some more: My Favorites · New additions · Alphabetical order · Original Yiddish


The best baker among the cobblers is Yankele the tailor New!

If you and all your neighbors lay all of your problems on your respective front lawns, you'd look them all over, and end up taking back your own. New!

If you don't want to get old, hang yourslef when you're young (Az me vil nit vern alt, zol men zikh yingerheyt oyfhengern.) New!

If you're going to eat pork, eat the best kind (Ez men est khazer zol rinen ariber der bord.) New! One of our favorites!
Also translated as, if you're going to eat pork, get it all over your beard.

You should lose all your teeth except one, and that one should ache! (Zolst farlirn ale tseyner akhuts eynem, un der zol dir vey ton) New!

Don't eat the challah before you've made the blessing (Es nisht di khale far a-moytse) New!
Don't have sex before marriage

Lying in the ground, baking bagels (Lign in drerd un bakn beygl) New!
Sisyphus-like hell, spending eternity making bagels you can't eat

It never rose and it never flew (Es iz nit geshtoygen un nit gefloygen) New! One of our favorites!
Figurative translation: It is bullshit!

Man plans and God laughs. (Mann tracht und Gott lacht) New! One of our favorites!

A man is not honest simply because he never had a chance to steal New! One of our favorites!

Nerve succeeds!

Where are you climbing with your crooked feet? (Vu krikhst du mit dayn krume fis?)

You can't make cheesecakes out of snow (Mit shney ken men nit makhn gomolkhes)

If we all pulled in one direction, the world would keel over.

Many complain of their looks, but none of their brains.

Words should be weighed, not counted.

A rich man who is stingy is the worst pauper.

It's as appropriate as a slap in response to a greeting of "good shabbas" (Es past zikh vi a patsh tsu gut shabes.)

The greatest folly of the fool is that he thinks he is smart (Di greste narishkayt fun a nar iz az er meynt az er is klug.)

When a man who has been previously married marries a woman who has been previously married, four people go to bed.


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My Favorites | New additions | Alphabetical order | Original Yiddish


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