Staving off ennui by expanding my vocabulary

Yiddish language - a language of exile, without a land, without frontiers, not supported by any government, a language which possesses no words for weapons, ammunition, military exercises, war tactics ...   There is a quiet humor in Yiddish and a gratitude for every day of life, every crumb of success, each encounter of love. The Yiddish mentality is not haughty. It does not take victory for granted. It does not demand and command but it muddles through, sneaks by, smuggles itself amidst the powers of destruction, knowing somewhere that God's plan for Creation is still at the very beginning ...   In a figurative way, Yiddish is the wise and humble language of us all, the idiom of frightened and hopeful Humanity.

PRONUNCIATION: (SHNOR-uhr) MEANING: noun: One who habitually takes advantage of others' generosity,   often through an air of entitlement. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish, from German schnurren (to purr, hum, or whir), from the sound of a beggar's musical instrument. USAGE: "Wilberforce opens his dining room to every schnorrer who appears at the door." Jan Stuart; Fighting a Good Fight; Newsday (New York); Feb 23, 2007.

PRONUNCIATION: (SHMEN-drik) MEANING: noun: A foolish, clueless, and naive person. ETYMOLOGY: After the name of the title character in an operetta by Abraham Goldfaden (1840-1908). USAGE: "With his nasal whine and ill-fitting, slush-sprayed suit, comedian Eugene Levy played the sort of obnoxious schmendrik that would prove his trademark." Guy Leshinski; The Importance of Being Eugene; Toronto Life (Canada); Nov 2002.

  Serge Debrebant; Berthold Metz: "I'm Trying To Become The World's   Most-Spammed Person"; Financial Times (London, UK); Apr 17, 2010.

  Marilyn Stasio; A Need for Noir; The New York Times; Jan 23, 2009.

"His tone dared me not to celebrate, dared me not to kvell." Mimi Harrison; Das Kapital; The Washington Post; Mar 12, 2000.

PRONUNCIATION: (NAKH-es) MEANING: noun: Emotional gratification or pride, especially taken vicariously at the achievement of one's children. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish (nakhes), from Hebrew nakhat (contentment). Earliest documented use: 1929. Also see kvell. USAGE: "So while I love living in this adopted country of mine, I will never get the naches from shopping here that I do in America." Ann Kleinberg; Confessions of a Mad Shopper; The Jerusalem Post (Israel); Sep 5, 2003.

PRONUNCIATION: (KIB-it-suhr) MEANING: noun: An onlooker who offers unwanted advice or criticism, for example at a card game. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish kibitsen, from German kiebitzen (to look on at cards), from Kiebitz (busybody, literally pewit or lapwing, a bird with a bad reputation as a meddler). Earliest documented use: 1927. USAGE: "Don't listen to the Internet kibitzers. Arthur Chu is playing the game right." Ken Jennings; Arthur Chu Is Playing Jeopardy! the Right Way; Slate (New York); Feb 10, 2014.

PRONUNCIATION: (MAHKH-uhr) MEANING: noun: 1. A person of influence, one who gets things done. 2. A self-important overbearing person. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish makher, from German macher (maker or doer). Earliest documented use: 1911. USAGE: "They weren't all his ideas, but he -- he, Andrew Cuomo -- was the macher who'd do it." Scott Raab; The Perfect Prince of Cool; Esquire (New York); Nov 2000.

PRONUNCIATION: (GAH-nuhf) MEANING: noun: A thief, swindler, or rascal. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish, from Hebrew gannabh (thief). Earliest documented use: 1920. USAGE: "Seniors, particularly women, are the largest and most frequent target of financial scamsters, and this ganef takes the cupcake." Malcolm Berko; Life Insurance, Farmland, and Facebook; Creators Syndicate (Los Angeles); Nov 6, 2013.

PRONUNCIATION: (PISH-uhr) MEANING: noun: 1. A bedwetter. 2. A young, inexperienced person. 3. An insignificant person: a nobody. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish pisher (pisser), from German pissen (to urinate). Earliest documented use: 1941. USAGE: "Natey said, 'I wanted to impress you, to show you that the pisher from Cabin Three at Camp Ojibwa was now a serious player.'" Joseph Epstein; Onto a Good Thing; Commentary (New York); May 2013.

USAGE: "Shavit thinks himself a hardened realist, but maybe he's another kind of luftmensch." Geoffrey Wheatcroft; A Romantic Dream; The Spectator (London, UK); Feb 22, 2014.

PRONUNCIATION: (SHLOK-my-stuhr) MEANING: noun: One who deals in inferior goods. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish shlak (evil, nuisance) + German Meister (master). Earliest documented use: 1965. USAGE: "Schlockmeister Ed Wood was supposedly the world's worst director." Philippa Hawker and Jake Wilson; Top 10 Films; The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Jul 17, 2010. "You're a Harvard historian, for god's sake, not a pop schlockmeister looking for a quick buck." Dan Brown; The Da Vinci Code; Doubleday; 2003.

"What did you have to do with it? Your parents were Mormon. What kind of   schmegeggy is this?"   Jess Stearn; Soulmates; Bantam; 1984.

PRONUNCIATION: (poch) MEANING: verb. tr.: To slap or spank. noun: A slap or spanking. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish patshn (to slap), of imitative origin. Earliest documented use: 1892. USAGE: “There are two schools of thought on the subject of potching. The first is that parents should never potch, no matter what was done and regardless of the circumstances.” Dovid Kaplan; Polishing Diamonds: Bringing Out the Sparkle in Our Children; Hamodia; 2005.

PRONUNCIATION: (fuhr-KLEMT, vuhr-) MEANING: adjective: Overcome with emotion; choked up. ETYMOLOGY: From Yiddish farklempt (overcome with emotion), from German verklemmt (inhibited). Earliest documented use: 1991. USAGE: “But it always makes me a little verklempt too, like my heart’s in my throat and I’m overcome with love.” Christie Blatchford; All Connected to the Hip; The Ottawa Citizen (Canada); May 28, 2016.