schlub

Definition

A person who is clumsy, oafish, or socially awkward, or unattractive or unkempt.

Etymology

From Yiddish זשלאָב (zhlob, “goyish bumpkin, redneck”), derived from Polish żłób (“manger, trough; furrow, large groove in the soil”). Compare Russian жлоб (žlob). While the word is superficially similar in both meaning and sound to the common English term slob, the two words are not believed to be etymologically related. Originated in Eastern Europe as part of klezmer musician cant (Klezmer-loshn). In its original sense, the word only applied to non-Jewish males. Strom (2002) lists "zhlobukhe-elzet" as a synonym, "zhlobevke" and "zlobike" (זלאָביקע) as female counterparts. The precise nature of the semantic leap from "manger, crib" to "boorish goy" remains unclear. In any case, by the year 1869, it had become common enough to be included in a Russian-Yiddish dictionary published in Zhytomyr. Jewish immigrants brought the word to the United States, where it is best known under the form schlub. In the Russosphere, the word жлоб (žlob, “schlub, miser”) spread seemingly through criminal slang, which is considerably influenced by the Odessan dialect of Russian.

Example Sentences

• "It wasn’t sufficient for Mother to use the rolling pin on that hapless brother of mine; she’d also call him Zlob, or Cham, another Polish term for an awkward peasant, something that a son of a nice Jewish family should never be."
• "“Do you want me to go in for a quick snoop and poop?” “No. You cannot go. They will sense you. No, we need a mortal. A human. A common schlub. A nobody. Someone whose personality is like a eunuch. Do you know?” “Okay, I'm gonna go. I'll go. All right? I'll go.”"
• "After the success of the film Jaws in 1975, two schlubs went around the United States pretending to be director Steven Spielberg and lead actor Richard Dreyfuss."

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