Hello, all you menchs and mohels. Time for your Yiddish word of the day: Bupkis.
Bupkis; noun, slang, meaning: nothing, nada, zip, zilch, squat, worthless
Example: "Go ahead and sue me. Know what you'll get? Bupkis!"
Bupkis comes to us from the Slavic languages by way of Yiddish and literally means "beans", but not in an appetizing way. The beans referred to are actually small pellets of animal droppings, which is perhaps appropriate given the common usage of the word and its generally negative connotation. Gradually the literal meaning has left it and bupkis has evolved into slang meaning "nothing".
UPDATE: This has always been a very popular post, and I was never sure why, but recently I might have figured it out by accident. If anyone is here because of the show "Dexter", could you please leave a comment to that effect? Thanks.
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31 comments:
Goat shit
Yep. Saw it on netflix and had to know.
Am watching Dexter on Netflix and two characters made a bet about the origin of this word. I had to know who was right!
Ha! Me, too - Dexter on Netflix - had to know!
I grew up in Arlington, Virginia. I have no idea where I picked it up. Out here in WA if I try to throw the word around for fun, people routinely ask, confused, "butt kiss?" Not well known - too bad - to me it's practically an onamonapia.
Martin Short had a story on Letterman tonight using the term bupkis.
george castanza
I first recall hearing it in an episode of Mary Tyler Moore. Rob had written a song titled Bupkis.
I am here because of the show Dexter.
Stanley Bupkis was Jim Carrey's character in "The Mask"
Included in the lyrics to "Drinking in LA" by Bran Van 2000. "We did absolutely bubkis that day..." Worth checking out the whole song. Great number. FRB.
Actually, I'm here from Spaceballs.
Actually, I'm here from Spaceballs.
Yep, here because of Dexter
Yeah, here because Dexter.
Yeah, here because Dexter.
Ditto
Ditto
George Castanza
George Castanza
Oh ja, I got this when Debra (in Decter) told her CI this and the CI correction her from bumpkus to bupkus.
Actually, the yiddish word “bupkis” originate from a polish noun “bobek” singular, “bobki” plural which describes animals droppings resembling beans (rabbits, goats, deer, etc). The yiddish word “bupkis” resembles the polish pronunciation of “bobki”.
Mind you, the word “bobki” is plural already, but a letter “s” was added to anglicize the word expressing plural.
Folks already discussed the meaning: minute, insignificant, worthless, etc.
That’s all.
R. Giuliani relied "bupkis" to a journalist who was asking if the Mueller investigation, as Flynn faces sentencing, will implicate the president.
Yeah... my curiosity was piqued by the Giuliani text as well. I have known how to use it and generally what it meant, but I was looking to find out about its origins and happily found it here. Interesting etymology. It covers its modern usage in a variety of ways and from different angles. Thanks to all who contributed.
The word Bupkis was also used in MacGyver (the 2016 remake with Lucas Till), in Season 3 Episode 5.
I'm here from Spaceballs: "The ring is bupkis."
Yep. Binge watching Dexter.
No to Dexter. I'm just a got boy with great grandparents from Alsace that looked had some Jewish roots. As a result, I have a little Yiddish in my vocabulary, but no enough to be sure of the correct spelling. Needed "bupkis" in a comment on quality of some technical documents.
Yep, you got it. I knew it was Yiddish but didn't know about the "beans" part. The spelling of bupkis is the one I've always known. But bingeing Dexter piqued my interest again. Now I can say I know beans!
I had heard the word before but never knew the spelling or meaning until watching Dexter.
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