Proverbs and Sayings

Idioms

Idioms are one of the most beautiful and colorful aspects of any language, and Yiddish is well-known for its richness in that regard.

Drawing from the vocabulary in this lesson, we can begin to sample a small taste of Yiddish idioms:

“האָבן גרױסע אױגן” – “To have big eyes” – To want more than you need.
- “Look at how much you’ve put on your plate—du host groyse oygn!”
“פֿון דײַן מױל אין גאָטס אױערן” – “From your mouth to God’s ears” – A wish that what the other person has just said will truly come about.
- “Your daughter is so smart, she’ll definitely get into a great school.”
  
  “Oy, fun dayn moyl in gots oyern!”
“אַן אױג מיט אַ ברעם” – “An eye with an eyebrow” – Describes two close friends who are never apart.
- “Moby and Nomi are an oyg mit a brem — always together!”