Mit 'nem kleenem stueckchen Glueck
July 15, 2009 5:22 PM Subscribe
Help me with a Yiddish or German turn of phrase for a blow, strike, or smack.
Years ago, I read an anecdote in an article in English, perhaps in Newsweek, which mentioned, in passing, the remark of an elderly Jew who survived the Holocaust. He was speaking of the younger generations of his family in New York, and how happy it made him to see new babies every year at his family gatherings -- every new life, he said, was "ein S[?] to Hitler."
This was translated as "a blow to Hitler," and although I seem to remember it as "ein Stueck," that can't be right, because it means "a piece." Unless that's idiomatic. Is it?
This is a bittersweet anecdote that I've remembered a lot lately, so if you can help me quote it correctly, I'd appreciate it --
Years ago, I read an anecdote in an article in English, perhaps in Newsweek, which mentioned, in passing, the remark of an elderly Jew who survived the Holocaust. He was speaking of the younger generations of his family in New York, and how happy it made him to see new babies every year at his family gatherings -- every new life, he said, was "ein S[?] to Hitler."
This was translated as "a blow to Hitler," and although I seem to remember it as "ein Stueck," that can't be right, because it means "a piece." Unless that's idiomatic. Is it?
This is a bittersweet anecdote that I've remembered a lot lately, so if you can help me quote it correctly, I'd appreciate it --
Klap? That's Yiddish anyway, but doesn't seem right with your quote...
posted by ohyouknow at 5:30 PM on July 15, 2009
posted by ohyouknow at 5:30 PM on July 15, 2009
Klap and Schlag mean the same thing.
Actually they're both Dutch synonyms ('klap' and 'slag').
posted by jouke at 5:33 PM on July 15, 2009
Actually they're both Dutch synonyms ('klap' and 'slag').
posted by jouke at 5:33 PM on July 15, 2009
Streich? Means blow and also seems to have the double meaning of playing a trick on someone.
posted by booksandwine at 5:35 PM on July 15, 2009
posted by booksandwine at 5:35 PM on July 15, 2009
Shtokh? Means "sting" or "stab" literally, or metaphorically "getting one's own back."
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:03 PM on July 15, 2009
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:03 PM on July 15, 2009
Shtokh - I remember that word as more of "shut up", not "sting"
Schlag - In my memory of my mom's grandma's recipe book, mit Schlag means "topped with whipped cream"
posted by SpecialK at 7:30 PM on July 15, 2009
Schlag - In my memory of my mom's grandma's recipe book, mit Schlag means "topped with whipped cream"
posted by SpecialK at 7:30 PM on July 15, 2009
I've heard "Schlag" used most commonly for this, in literature and by Yiddish speakers
Schlag - In my memory of my mom's grandma's recipe book, mit Schlag means "topped with whipped cream"
That's German usage, but the meaning is the same. The "mit Schlag" isn't referring to the cream; it's saying "with a slap" or "with a hit" of cream. I made the same mistake when I first moved to Germany, and predictable hilarity ensued.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 1:24 AM on July 16, 2009
Schlag - In my memory of my mom's grandma's recipe book, mit Schlag means "topped with whipped cream"
That's German usage, but the meaning is the same. The "mit Schlag" isn't referring to the cream; it's saying "with a slap" or "with a hit" of cream. I made the same mistake when I first moved to Germany, and predictable hilarity ensued.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 1:24 AM on July 16, 2009
Sorry Foxy_hedgehog:
The "mit Schlag" isn't referring to the cream; it's saying "with a slap" or "with a hit" of cream. I made the same mistake when I first moved to Germany, and predictable hilarity ensued.
The Schlag is the whipped part of the cream, eg: Schlagsahne. This is sometimes shortened to as just Schlag. Schlag may have teh vernacular use you mention in some areas, but it wouldn't be standardised enough to crop up in a cook book.
posted by munchbunch at 5:36 AM on July 16, 2009
The "mit Schlag" isn't referring to the cream; it's saying "with a slap" or "with a hit" of cream. I made the same mistake when I first moved to Germany, and predictable hilarity ensued.
The Schlag is the whipped part of the cream, eg: Schlagsahne. This is sometimes shortened to as just Schlag. Schlag may have teh vernacular use you mention in some areas, but it wouldn't be standardised enough to crop up in a cook book.
posted by munchbunch at 5:36 AM on July 16, 2009
Response by poster: This is great! I should have known that Yiddish and German have too many useful, funny terms between them for me to pick out exactly which it was. But it seems to me he said something most like "shtokh" or "Streich."
Thanks, everyone!
posted by Countess Elena at 5:49 PM on July 16, 2009
Thanks, everyone!
posted by Countess Elena at 5:49 PM on July 16, 2009
Schmeiss?
My parents would always threaten a "schmeiss" in the event of misbehavior...this is Yiddish though. A "Zetz" is another term that was used, but this wasn't in reference to corporal punishment
posted by pscohen at 6:03 AM on July 19, 2009
My parents would always threaten a "schmeiss" in the event of misbehavior...this is Yiddish though. A "Zetz" is another term that was used, but this wasn't in reference to corporal punishment
posted by pscohen at 6:03 AM on July 19, 2009
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posted by jouke at 5:29 PM on July 15, 2009 [1 favorite]