“Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms”
Entry in progress—B.P.
(Oxford English Dictionary)
oy, int. (and n.)
Etymology: Yiddish oy, an outcry or exclamation of surprise, joy, dismay, or horror.
Esp. in Jewish usage: expressing surprise, dismay, or grief; ‘oh’, ‘oh, goodness’. Also (occas.) as n.
Freq. reduplicated.
1892 I. Zangwill Children of Ghetto I. xii. 270 The dispute thickened; the synagogue hummed with ‘Ei’s’ and ‘Oi’s’ not in concord.
1896 A. Cahan Yekl iv. 73 Oi a lamentation upon me! He shaves his beard!
1928 H. Crane Let. 22 Feb. (1965) 317 Oy-oy-oy! I have just had my ninth snifter of Scotch.
WPM Invitational
Word Play Masters Invitational
For years an email has been circulating about the “Washington Post’s Mensa invitational” which includes a very clever list of words made by changing common words.
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14. Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
OANDA Forex Forum
tsch
Feb. 1, 2005 21:59:00
Trivia
The ANNUAL NEOLOGISM CONTEST
Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. And the winners are:
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14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
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Alan Thicke
@alan_thicke
‘Mensa dictionary ‘12’: Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
6:22 AM - 15 Apr 13