Schmuck
The word
schmuck has become common in American English meaning a detestable person, or a jerk. The word also means a stupid or idiotic person. In these senses,
schmuck entered English as a borrowed word from the
Yiddish slang for
foreskin, (), where it is an obscene term and an insult. In his famous cultural lexicon,
The Joys of Yiddish,
Leo Rosten lists the Yiddish
schmuck as related to the Slovene word,
šmok, meaning "a fool, an innocent, a gullible dolt."
*
Schmuck is a favorite expression of comedian
Jackie Mason.
*
Mad Magazine often jokingly uses "Schmuck" as an insult to its readers.
*also used to denote Cyrus P. Driver
Of German origin,
Schmuck means
jewel or jewelry. The name is commonly seen on signs and billboards in
Germany and
Austria related to the merchandising of precious jewelry. The Schmuck family name has been traced to the birth of Christian von Schmuck in 1370. In 1624, an Armorial Patent, or
Coat of Arms, was granted at
Rattenberg by Archduke
Leopold V of Austria.
Notable figures bearing the surname Schmuck:
*
Marcus Schmuck - Austrian Mountaineer who initiated, organized, and led the expedition to climb the worlds 12th highest peak, the
Broad Peak (8,047 meters) in the
Karakoram in
Pakistan*
Roger Schmuck - College baseball coach and former
Major League Baseball player with the
Kansas City Royals who held the
National Collegiate Athletic Association Baseball Consecutive Games Hitting Streaks record of 45 games.
*
Peter Schmuck - National Sports Columnist, President of
Baseball Writers Association of America and
National Baseball Hall of Fame Voter.
*
Donald Schmuck -
Coast Guard Academy graduate,
Marine Corps Brigadier General who served in all military conflicts from
World War II to
Persian Gulf War. Recipient of the
Navy Cross who also completed a
Ph.D. in
Nuclear Physics.
List of English words of Yiddish origin
