Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Narishkeit

This website defines "narishkeit" as follows (my copy of Leo Rosten is temporarily displaced due to minor construction):

Narishkeit: (nar-ish-kite) foolishness (a nar is a fool) "An artist, you want to be? Never mind this narishkeit! Better you should go to college and get a real job!"
I mention this because I was thinking the other day that perhaps it comes from "na'ar", which is Hebrew for youth. In other words, youthful foolishness or nonsense.

Linguists, what say you?


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