Yiddish Words Quiz: Chutzpah, Schmooze and Kvetch in English

This Yiddish words quiz explores the lively vocabulary that Jewish immigrants brought to American speech. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on chutzpah, schmooze, kvetch, klutz, schlep, nosh, mensch, maven, shtick and the language's Germanic roots and Hebrew alphabet.

Start Yiddish Words Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Chutzpah
What does chutzpah mean?
Schmooze
What does it mean to schmooze?
Kvetch
What does a kvetch do?
Klutz
What is a klutz?
Schlep
What does schlep mean?
Nosh
What is a nosh?
Mensch
What is a mensch?
Maven
What is a maven?
Roots
Which language family does Yiddish mainly belong to?
Script
Which alphabet is Yiddish written in?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What does chutzpah mean?
Answer: Bold nerve or audacity
It can be praise or criticism.
Q2: What does it mean to schmooze?
Answer: To chat in a friendly way
It is common in business talk.
Q3: What does a kvetch do?
Answer: Complain
Kvetching is constant griping.
Q4: What is a klutz?
Answer: A clumsy person
Klutzes drop things.
Q5: What does schlep mean?
Answer: To drag or carry with effort
You might schlep groceries.
Q6: What is a nosh?
Answer: A snack
People nosh between meals.
Q7: What is a mensch?
Answer: A good, decent person
Calling someone a mensch is high praise.
Q8: What is a maven?
Answer: An expert
A food maven knows good food.
Q9: Which language family does Yiddish mainly belong to?
Answer: Germanic
It mixes in Hebrew and Slavic words.
Q10: Which alphabet is Yiddish written in?
Answer: The Hebrew alphabet
It reads right to left.

Yiddish Words Quiz – Chutzpah, Schmooze and Kvetch in English

Yiddish developed among Ashkenazi Jews in central and eastern Europe. It is mainly Germanic, mixed with Hebrew, Aramaic and Slavic words, and is written in the Hebrew alphabet.

Millions of Jewish immigrants brought Yiddish to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, especially to New York City. Many words slipped into everyday American English through theater, comedy, newspapers and city life.

Today Americans of every background schmooze, kvetch, schlep bags and admire a mensch. Words like chutzpah, klutz, nosh and maven give English extra flavor, and many speakers use them without knowing where they came from.

What This Quiz Teaches

Language fans will enjoy these questions.

What common words mean
Where Yiddish came from
How words entered English
Which alphabet it uses
How the words are used today

Did You Know?

Bagel comes to English from Yiddish.
Shtick means a performer's signature routine.
Spiel means a long sales pitch.
Oy vey expresses dismay.
Some say glitch may come from Yiddish.