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Somehow, Yiddish has made its way into the NFL. What’s not to love? Disclaimer: I do not have the express written consent of the National Football League to discuss this matter. But Yiddish is a lingua franca, so who needs permission?
Of course, I am talking about the strategic offensive maneuver called the tush push. Way back when, it was called the quarterback sneak. But sportscasters have settled on a more colorful way to describe this pile-up in which the quarterback plows forward with a little help from his teammates in front and behind. In Yiddish, tuchis is your rear end or posterior, according to Leo Rosten (1908–1997), the “Noah Webster” of Yiddish. From there, we get variations such as tushy or tush.
Push the tush has been an overwhelming success as an offensive play. So much so that some experts want to ban it (as do opponents of the Philadelphia Eagles who use it so effectively). Have no fear. Here are some more football plays and parlance inspired by the Yiddish language.
Bulba — A fumble. This word for potato also refers to an error in Yiddish. Perhaps this relates to the idea of dropping something like a “hot potato.”
Bulvan — A huge guy like a lineman. Let’s use it in a sentence: “A bulvan took down the ball carrier, resulting in a bulba.”
Chachma — The ruling in response to a coach’s challenge. This Yiddish word refers to wisdom. But, in keeping with the native irony of Yiddish, chachma can also mean stupidity. In this way, the result of a coach’s challenge has chachma on both sides of the ball.
Chaim Yankel — In this spectacular defensive effort, a journeyman from the practice squad is called up for the game and tackles a star player. In Yiddish, Chaim Yankel is akin to “Joe Schmo.”
Chloppeh — A rainout or muddy game, from the Yiddish for a downpour.
Chometzdik — This is not actually an on-field football move, however, in the interest of public health, please don’t eat a chometzdik hotdog if you see them being sold at the concessions stand.
Choodah moodah — In Yiddish slang, this refers to jail or prison. But, can we normalize this phrase as a way to describe a quarterback sack behind the line of scrimmage? “Choodah moodah! He got trapped in the pocket and dropped for a loss.”
Dershtikt — Piling on. Literally, to suffocate. “That tush push ended in dershtikt.”
Dray Play — A fake. This Yiddish-English portmanteau means a confusing play. “Even the camera operator fell for that dray play.”
Eingeshpart — A “stubborn” runner who refuses to be taken down, gaining extra yardage on the play. “Saquon Barkley is as eingeshpart as the great Barry Sanders was.
Farblondjet — A broken play or series can be summed up with this quintessentially Yiddish word meaning lost. “A bad snap, missed hand-off, and choodah moodah in the backfield; what a farblondjet possession.”
Farchadet — When the receiver beats the coverage. The defender, literally, got burned.
Feese — A running play; literally, feet. “Another feese to the right for a first down.”
Glik — A field goal attempt that hits the upright, but then goes through. Literally, good fortune. “It’s up, and…it’s a glik kick for three!”
Hok a chainik — Literally, bang on a teapot. This is when the home team fans make such a racket that the visiting offense cannot hear their quarterback’s play call. “They’re hoking him a chainik and he has to waste a timeout.”
Hok ’em and brock ’em — A running play with multiple blockers. A loose translation might be “bang them and break them.”
Latke — When the ball carrier is tackled like a pancake (latke). “That bulvan flattened him on a fourth down latke.”
Meezele meizele — A running play where the ball carrier reverses to the other side of the back field, covering a lot of ground without forward progress. In Yiddish, this is a children’s rhyme about a scurrying mouse.
Megillah — A really big game like a conference championship or the Super Bowl; a big production. Literally, the book of Esther. “This whole Megillah is brought to you by….”
Potch — A tackle, a hit. “The defense wasn’t fooled by that dray play. It’s a potch for a loss.”
Pupik — An accurate pass inexcusably dropped by a receiver. Literally, the belly button. “That pupik pass hit him in the mid-section and he dropped it!”
Schneider — A shut out. In Yiddish, this word is actually used when you shut out an opponent in a game. While the surname Schneider means tailor, usage of the word during a competition may be similar to English when we say that something is “all sewn up.”
Simcha — “Touchdown!” (A simcha is a cause for celebration.)
Zetz — A blow or punch. “According to the new rules, it isn’t kosher to give the quarterback a zetz…unless of course it takes the form of a tush push.”
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