Re: Meshuggener
Posted by R. Berg on April 05, 2001
In Reply to: Meshuggener posted by Bruce Kahl on April 05, 2001
: : HELP PLEASE!
: : Can anyone tell me the descriptive word that sounds similar to mashooganar or masugarnah as heard a few times in American movies and what it means and the origin.
: : Thanks.
: One entry found for meshuggener.
:
: Main Entry: me·shug·gen·er
: Pronunciation: -'shu-g&-n&r
: Function: noun
: Etymology: Yiddish meshugener, from meshuge
: Date: 1900
: : a foolish or crazy person
More from Leo Rosten, "The Joys of Yiddish":
MESHUGGE: "Meshugge" means crazy . . . A crazy man is a "meshuggener." A crazy woman is a "meshuggeneh." Note: "That's meshugge," but "that's a meshuggeneh idea." Also see MISHEGOSS.
MISHEGOSS: Literally: insanity, madness. But . . . more often used in a lighter vein to describe not mental disease, but (1) A wacky, irrational, absurd belief; nonsense; hallucinations. "Did you ever hear such a piece of mishegoss?" (2) A state of affairs so silly or unreal that it defies explanation. "No one can figure it out; it's plain mishegoss." . . . (3) A piece of tomfoolery, clowning, "horsing around." . . . (4) A fixation . . .
These words come from the Hebrew "meshuga" (insane), Rosten says.
- Re: Meshuggener bob 04/05/01
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