The Yiddish spoken communication has gifted English speakers with some irresistibly punchy words that hold direct translation , but are instantly intelligible : schmuck , confab , schtick , tchatchke , bupkes , klutz , the list decease on .
Chutzpah is a word that should be in everyone ’s Yiddish arsenal . If you ’re not intimate with chutzpah , it ’s often set in the lexicon as cheek , gall , crust , high-handedness and " supreme ego - confidence . " But as with all Yiddish words , there ’s a subtle flavor to chutzpah that sidestep easy translation into English .
The recent Leo Rosten , author of " The joyousness of Yiddish , " write that hutzpah means " effrontery plus arrogance such as no other word , and no other language , can do justice to . " Rosten sum it up with this definitive example :
" Chutzpah is that quality enshrined in a man who , having killed his mother and father , throws himself on the mercifulness of the homage because he is an orphan . "
That take some substantial hutzpah .
How to Pronounce Chutzpah
First , leave the English pronunciation of the " ch " sound as in church service or chutney .
In Yiddish , the " ch " sound is produce in the back of the throat like you ’re gently sack out some sluggishness . In phonics , the Yiddish " ch " auditory sensation is called an " unvoiced dorsal velar non - spirant fricative . " If that does n’t help , here ’s a videoof how to say chutzpah like a pro .
If you have difficulty form an authentic " ch " sound in the back of your pharynx , you’re able to substitute a even " h " speech sound like " hootzpah " ( rhymes with " foot spa " ! ) . But whatever you do , don’t be like this guy . It takes real chutzpah to pronounce chutzpa so ill .
Is Chutzpah Good or Bad?
It ’s both , really .
Yiddish is derived mostly from German and Hebrew , and chutzpahcan trace its roots back to an ancient Hebrew and Aramaic word חצף whichmeans"insolent " and " impudent , " which are definitely negative descriptors . And it ’s potential that chutzpah was mostly hear as a negative caliber among Yiddish loudspeaker in Europe , where it was once the daily language of10 million Ashkenazi Jews .
But something happened when Yiddish came to America and mixed with the English utilisation of " face . " If someone has " a lot of spunk " it ’s ordinarily a forged thing . But sometimes it " adopt a fate of nerve " to mouth your creative thinker or put up up to a bully , which is a good matter .
The word chutzpah pulls off a nifty trick , because on one deal it recognizes that someone ’s demeanour is nervy , brazen or arrogant , but it also tip its cap in respect . Someone with chutzpa is n’t ashamed of deform or breaking the rules if it vex them what they need . You might not approve of their behavior , but you honor the chutzpah it took to pull it off .
In its definition of chutzpah , Merriam - Webstercites a news articleabout the son of a Nike executive who sells rarified sneakers , some of which may have been stolen from Nike . " His party , West Coast Streetwear , has figure out how to use technology and chutzpah to buy hot tennis shoe in bulk before the rest of the market,“writes Jeff Manning in The Oregonian .
It take chutzpa to sell stolen footgear from your mummy ’s company . It ’s illegal , but it ’s also kind of nerveless .
