(no subject)

As a kid I heard Yiddish phrases and words now and again. My grandparents had grown up in New York City speaking it fluently (to the extent that for one the first time they'd ever heard English was their first day of school) and my parents understood it quite well, although spoke it only occasionally.

One phrase I'd heard often was hak maer nish keyn tshaynik (האַק מיר ניט קיין טשײַניק) which I'd learned meant what would be politely translated as 'stop talking nonsense' but really was more along the lines of 'you’re driving me crazy, leave me alone.'

Today I learned it literally translates as 'stop banging my teapot.'

I love language.