Oy vey iz mir means "woe is me" in Yiddish. Things sound much better in Yiddish, don't they? I'm having some technical issues today, and it is making me feel slightly better yelling, "Oy vey iz mir," as I pull my hair out.
A very common misconception (you know, in my little circle) is that Oy vey means 'woe is me' - iz mir has become irrelevant. The only Yiddish I know is from you, so presuming you know what you're talking about, they're essentially saying 'woe' all day... I can't decide if this should be sad or amusing.
A good question. I've never thought of "oy vey" as meaning woe is me, so I looked it up in my little book of Yiddish, "Drek" by Yette Emmes. According to Emmes, "oy vey" means "how terrible!" or "how horrible!" I think it is only when you add iz mir to oy vey that it means woe is me. Of course, I am no maven* when it comes to Yiddish, so if anyone else knows, please weigh in. -S
i like to say oi moi, which is greek for woe is me.
ReplyDeleteA very common misconception (you know, in my little circle) is that Oy vey means 'woe is me' - iz mir has become irrelevant. The only Yiddish I know is from you, so presuming you know what you're talking about, they're essentially saying 'woe' all day... I can't decide if this should be sad or amusing.
ReplyDeleteHope your tech issues are fixed!
Hey Anna,
ReplyDeleteA good question. I've never thought of "oy vey" as meaning woe is me, so I looked it up in my little book of Yiddish, "Drek" by Yette Emmes. According to Emmes, "oy vey" means "how terrible!" or "how horrible!" I think it is only when you add iz mir to oy vey that it means woe is me. Of course, I am no maven* when it comes to Yiddish, so if anyone else knows, please weigh in. -S
*Expert.