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Schlemiel
shleh-MEEL • Noun
שלעמיאל
Snappy Essence
The clumsy, passive instigator of minor mishaps; the one who spills the soup.
Nuance
A schlemiel is a harmless, lovable bumbling figure. They trip, drop things, and spill cups, but they always mean well.
Pro-Pronunciation Tip
Start with 'shleh', finish with a long, bright 'MEEL'.
Linguistic Note (YIVO)
Standard YIVO transliteration: shlemil
Etymology: Popular etymology links it to a biblical figure (Shelumiel ben Zurishaddai, Numbers 1:6). Chamisso's 1814 Peter Schlemihl fixed the archetype in European letters.
Examples in the wild
Classic
"That schlemiel just tripped over the dog and dropped the entire salad."
Modern Yinglish
"I gestured toward the presentation board and swept my double-espresso onto the desk like a total schlemiel."
Mishegas Meter5/10