schmatta

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Pronunciations

schmatta (SHMAH-tuh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A rag.

  • n. An old, ragged piece of clothing.

  • n. The person with whom one is having an affair.

  • n. A person unworthy of respect.

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Example Sentences

  • "Morrie on Cheapside made a killing as a schmutter dealer. He sold thousands of woolen jumpers."

  • "You just need to use a schmata, soap and water to clean your floors, nothing fancy."

  • "You're nothing; you're just his schmatah!"

  • "If I see or hear or smell something of hers in this house or on you ever again, that's it—you can have your schmatah and give me the get!"

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Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • שמאַטע shmate 'rag'

      • Who Uses This

      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      schmatter, schmutter, shmata, shmate, shmatta, shmatte, shmattah, shmatteh, shmatter, schmatter, schmater, shmater

Notes

  • Used in the expressions "the shmatta industry" and "shmatta district".

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