Laverne & Shirley, schlemiel / schlimazel

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:09 pm

Many will remember the lyrics from the theme song of Laverne & Shirley
schlemiel, schlimazel ....
Like most, I never looked up these words to find out their definitions. The first is a habitual bungler, the second a born loser.

http://www.wordsmith.org/words/today.html

schlimazel or shlimazel (shli-MAH-zuhl) noun

Someone prone to having extremely bad luck.

[From Yiddish, from shlim (bad, wrong) + mazl (luck). A related term is mazel tov (literally, good luck) used to convey congratulations or best wishes.]

A schlimazel can be concisely described as a born loser. No discussion of schlimazel could be complete without mentioning his counterpart: schlemiel, a habitual bungler. They go together:

A schlemiel is one who always spills his soup, schlimazel is the one on whom it always lands.

A schlimazel's toast always falls butter-side down. A schlemiel always butters his toast on both sides.

Father Emmet · Post by **Father Emmet** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:26 pm

So what does "Hassenfef Incorporated" mean?

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:31 pm

It's a misspelled German word, Hasenpfeffer. That means literally "hare pepper" and is loaf of hare-meat and spices. A very old German dish. Listed in some English-language dictionaries, I seem to recall.

I presume you know what Incorporated means.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:32 pm

you know bloom, I'm liking your sepia self. Very becoming!

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:37 pm

izzarina wrote:you know bloom, I'm liking your sepia self. Very becoming!

It lends a certain air of dignity and sobriety, doesn't it? Very appropriate.

Father Emmet · Post by **Father Emmet** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:42 pm

Bloomfield wrote:It's a misspelled German word, Hasenpfeffer. That means literally "hare pepper" and is loaf of hare-meat and spices. A very old German dish. Listed in some English-language dictionaries, I seem to recall.

Ah, I should have remembered that from Bugs Bunny! OT- I have an old aunt that lives in Bay Ridge that we used to call "Aunt Bugs" because of the old style Brooklyn accent.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 4:01 pm

BillChin wrote:Many will remember the lyrics from the theme song of Laverne & Shirley
schlemiel, schlimazel ....
Like most, I never looked up these words to find out their definitions. The first is a habitual bungler, the second a born loser.

I actually heard these defined just this past week, by Danny DeVito's character, on an episode of Taxi, that aired on KTUL.

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 4:18 pm

Father Emmet wrote:So what does "Hassenfef Incorporated" mean?

I always thought they were saying "positive, incorporated" but the I was always a bit of a mishugene.
Mike

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:21 pm

I grew up in this culture, surrounded by schlemiel's and
schlimazls. It's learned behaviour on both sides,
and while the jokes are amusing, the reality is not.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:28 pm

:roll:

Could be a lot worse...

A lot worse,

Slan,
D.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:35 pm

I suppose things can always be worse.
This was very bad.

Sorry to be a killjoy.
I know the jokes are funny. The real definition
of a schlimazl is 'a genius at bad luck.'
But at the end of the day I don't find
human suffering funny. This in no wayreflects on any of you.

glauber · Post by **glauber** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:39 pm

Are schmooze, schlep, schtick and klutz also derived from Yiddish?

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:40 pm

jim stone wrote: But at the end of the day I don't find
human suffering funny.

Who does? But it would be worse without the human ability to laugh, even about serious, awful, and painful things.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:40 pm

Yah, Yiddish.

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 8:41 pm

Bloomfield wrote:
jim stone wrote: But at the end of the day I don't find
human suffering funny.
Who does? But it would be worse without the human ability to laugh, even about serious, awful, and painful things.

The trouble is that sometimes jokes perpetuate
the neurosis. I'm a loser, hah, hah, hah!

This is very much a personal peeve.
I 've had trouble with some Woody Allen movies
for this reason. 'I can't love anybody,
hah, hah, hah!'

You had to have been there. Thank God America
is a big country. I would have been doomed in
Europe. Best