Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Nativity

Baby Jesus was born far away from home
In the stable of a stranger
He slept in the box that the animals ate from
A box that’s called a manger
We call that box a manger

An angel flew to some nearby shepherds
With a message he was sent
To announce the arrival of the son of the Lord
That what we call the Advent
His arrival’s called the Advent

The shepherds were happy as they could be
They were filled with elation
They went to the stable to praise the child
That’s called the adoration
It’s called the adoration

Christians believe that on that day
God’s word was made flesh
Some build models of that holy scene
That model’s called a crèche
A nativity or a crèche

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review

Monday, December 7, 2009

Yiddish Words in English

Yiddish once was spoken by European Jews
Here are some Yiddish words that English speakers use

A waiter who spills soup on someone's lap is a schlemiel
A schlemazel is the guy who gets the worse end of that deal
With a lap full of hot soup it's no wonder that he squeals
Oy vey! I'm such an unlucky guy!

A fellow in a sauna most certainly is shvitzing
If he's chatting with somebody you can say they are kibitzing
Occasionally the rocks with water they are shpritzing
Otherwise the air would get too dry

A person who complains so much that it could make you retch
Is a kvetch!
A thing that isn't even worth as much as one flyspeck
Is drek!

These are Yiddish words that English speakers use

by Tom Meltzer ©The Princeton Review