"schlimazel" meaning in English

See schlimazel in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ʃləˈmɑːzəl/ Forms: schlimazels [plural], schlemazel [alternative], schlemozzle [alternative], schlimazl [alternative], shlimazel [alternative], shlimazl [alternative], shlemozzle [alternative]
Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl), from Middle High German slim (“crooked”) and Hebrew מזל (mazzāl, “luck”) Etymology templates: {{bor+|en|yi|שלימזל|tr=shlimazl}} Borrowed from Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl), {{uder|en|gmh|slim||crooked}} Middle High German slim (“crooked”), {{uder|en|he|מזל|מזל|luck|tr=mazzāl}} Hebrew מזל (mazzāl, “luck”) Head templates: {{en-noun}} schlimazel (plural schlimazels)
  1. (colloquial, chiefly US) A chronically unlucky person. Wikidata QID: Q6969257 Tags: US, colloquial Related terms: schlemiel, shemozzle Translations (a chronically unlucky person): ulykkesfugl [common-gender] (Danish), pechvogel (Dutch), schlemiel (Dutch), Pechvogel [masculine] (German), sfigato [neuter] (Italian), sierota [feminine, masculine] (Polish), pechowiec [masculine] (Polish), nieudacznik [masculine] (Polish), баксуз (baksuz) [neuter] (Serbo-Croatian), gafe [masculine] (Spanish), שלימזל (shlimazl) [masculine] (Yiddish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yi",
        "3": "שלימזל",
        "tr": "shlimazl"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl)",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "slim",
        "4": "",
        "5": "crooked"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German slim (“crooked”)",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "he",
        "3": "מזל",
        "4": "מזל",
        "5": "luck",
        "tr": "mazzāl"
      },
      "expansion": "Hebrew מזל (mazzāl, “luck”)",
      "name": "uder"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl), from Middle High German slim (“crooked”) and Hebrew מזל (mazzāl, “luck”)",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "schlimazels",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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    {
      "form": "schlemazel",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "schlemozzle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "schlimazl",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shlimazel",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shlimazl",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "shlemozzle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
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      "args": {},
      "expansion": "schlimazel (plural schlimazels)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
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          "text": "I must have pressed two buttons at once, he decided; jammed the works and got this schlimazl’s eye view of reality.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
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          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
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          "ref": "2004 August 30, Michael Morrissey, “METS GET SLAMMED AGAIN – VENTURA GRANNY KEYS DODGER ROUT”, in New York Post:",
          "text": "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.",
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          "text": "Hertz is an early contender for Wall Street’s schlimazel of the decade, the big unlucky lemon that just can’t seem to get anything right.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
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      ],
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        }
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          "lang_code": "da",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "ulykkesfugl"
        },
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          "lang": "Dutch",
          "lang_code": "nl",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "word": "pechvogel"
        },
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          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "lang_code": "nl",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "word": "schlemiel"
        },
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          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Pechvogel"
        },
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          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "lang_code": "it",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "sfigato"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sierota"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "pechowiec"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "nieudacznik"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "lang_code": "sh",
          "roman": "baksuz",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "баксуз"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "gafe"
        },
        {
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "lang_code": "yi",
          "roman": "shlimazl",
          "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "שלימזל"
        }
      ],
      "wikidata": [
        "Q6969257"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ʃləˈmɑːzəl/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "schlimazel"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
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        "3": "שלימזל",
        "tr": "shlimazl"
      },
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      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
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        "2": "gmh",
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    },
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        "4": "מזל",
        "5": "luck",
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      },
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      "name": "uder"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl), from Middle High German slim (“crooked”) and Hebrew מזל (mazzāl, “luck”)",
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        "alternative"
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      "form": "shlimazel",
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        "alternative"
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      "form": "shlimazl",
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        "alternative"
      ]
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      "word": "schlemiel"
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      "word": "shemozzle"
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        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
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          "text": "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.",
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          "ref": "2024 May 16, “Who Wants 30,000 Used Teslas?”, in Intelligencer, retrieved 16 May 2024:",
          "text": "Hertz is an early contender for Wall Street’s schlimazel of the decade, the big unlucky lemon that just can’t seem to get anything right.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A chronically unlucky person."
      ],
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          "chronically"
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          "unlucky",
          "unlucky"
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        "(colloquial, chiefly US) A chronically unlucky person."
      ],
      "senseid": [
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  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ʃləˈmɑːzəl/"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "ulykkesfugl"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "word": "pechvogel"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "word": "schlemiel"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Pechvogel"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "sfigato"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "sierota"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "pechowiec"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "nieudacznik"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "lang_code": "sh",
      "roman": "baksuz",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "баксуз"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "gafe"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "lang_code": "yi",
      "roman": "shlimazl",
      "sense": "a chronically unlucky person",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "שלימזל"
    }
  ],
  "word": "schlimazel"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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