schlemiel

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

schlemiel

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• schlemihl, shlemiel, shlemihl

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish שלימיל (shlimil).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃləˈmiːl/
• Rhymes: -iːl

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

schlemiel (plural schlemiels)

1. A loser or a fool.
   • 2004 August 30, Michael Morrissey, “METS GET SLAMMED AGAIN – VENTURA GRANNY KEYS DODGER ROUT”, in New York Post‎:

     On Jewish Heritage Day, there was ample time to debate whether the Mets are schlemiels or schlimazels with the home team down 8-1 after five. Fans were given shirts that read “Let’s Go Mets” in Hebrew, but “Oy vey!” was more appropriate.

   • 2021 September 29, Michael Starr, “Steve Dildarian returns with wry ‘Ten Year Old Tom’ on HBO Max”, in New York Post‎:

     In that series, creator/writer/star Dildarian played the titular Tim, a 20-something laconic schlemiel living in New York with his girlfriend, Amy — a “Curb Your Enthusiasm”-type existence peppered with awkward situations.

2. A person who is clumsy or who hurts others emotionally.

Translations

clumsy person

Dutch: schlemiel (nl) m Esperanto: ŝlemilo (eo) German: Schlemihl (de) m Hebrew: שלומיאל (he) m (shlumiél) Polish: nieudacznik (pl) m, oferma (pl) f Yiddish: שלימיל m (shlimil)

See also

• schlimazel
• schmuck
• schmendrick

Dutch

Alternative forms

• sjlemiel

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish שלימיל (shlimil).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

schlemiel m (plural schlemielen, diminutive schlemieltje n)

1. (Netherlands, informal) schlemiel