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Nebbish
NEB-ish • Noun
נעבעך
Snappy Essence
A harmless, passive, completely invisible person who apologizes for their own existence.
Nuance
Neither instigator nor victim—the awkward bystander handing them a single damp napkin while saying 'sorry'.
Pro-Pronunciation Tip
Rhymes perfectly with 'pebbish'. Say it quietly, with a helpless shrug.
Examples in the wild
Classic
"He is such a nebbish, he stands in the corner at parties talking to the houseplant."
Modern Yinglish
"I stood silently next to the printer for 15 minutes because I was too polite to tell the intern they were copying the wrong side."
Mishegas Meter4/10