schmooze
to chat in an informal and persuasive manner
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Networking: Does everybody need to SCHMOOZE to get on?
(BBC News)
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The crowd was made up overwhelmingly of U.S. expats, who crowded into a basement ballroom in a Marriott hotel next the U.S. embassy to spend time with other expats, eat muffins, SCHMOOZE and watch the election results on big screens showing CNN, CNBC and BBC.
(Wall Street Journal)
(BBC News)
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The crowd was made up overwhelmingly of U.S. expats, who crowded into a basement ballroom in a Marriott hotel next the U.S. embassy to spend time with other expats, eat muffins, SCHMOOZE and watch the election results on big screens showing CNN, CNBC and BBC.
(Wall Street Journal)
Did you
know?
schmooze
verb, slang
- to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business or connections
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
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Schmooze is one of the many Yiddish words that have entered the English language, primarily by way of American English. This can be traced back to the great wave of East European Jews who immigrated to the U.S. between the 1880s and the start of the First World War. Mostly Yiddish-speaking, these people had a tremendous impact on major cities such as New York, bringing with them a wide range of cultural influences, including their language.
As can be seen from many of the words, Yiddish is a German language written in the Hebrew alphabet. It is closely related to modern German, with many German cognates. It also has a substantial number of Hebrew and Slavic words.
Schmooze is from the Yiddish "shmuesn," meaning to chat, and from "shmues" (German: schmusen), which refers to "idle talk, chat," and further from the Hebrew "shemu'oth," (news, rumors). Below are several other Yiddish words that are common in English:
- chutzpah = from the Yiddish "khutspe," which means nerve, guts, audacity (It took a lot of chutzpah to talk to the boss like that)
- kibitz = as in to chatter or to offer unwanted advice. From the Yiddish "kibetsn" (Whenever we play cards, he never stops kibitzing)
- glitch = as in a minor malfunction. Probably stemmed from the Yiddish "glitsh," a slippery place, cognate with the German "glitschig." (The computer network experienced a glitch this morning so we couldn't work)
- klutz = a clumsy person. From the Yiddish "klots," a wooden beam. Cognate with the German "Klotz" (block or brick)
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Trade shows offer good opportunities for schmoozing with potential customers."
verb, slang
- to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business or connections
(Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)
---
Schmooze is one of the many Yiddish words that have entered the English language, primarily by way of American English. This can be traced back to the great wave of East European Jews who immigrated to the U.S. between the 1880s and the start of the First World War. Mostly Yiddish-speaking, these people had a tremendous impact on major cities such as New York, bringing with them a wide range of cultural influences, including their language.
As can be seen from many of the words, Yiddish is a German language written in the Hebrew alphabet. It is closely related to modern German, with many German cognates. It also has a substantial number of Hebrew and Slavic words.
Schmooze is from the Yiddish "shmuesn," meaning to chat, and from "shmues" (German: schmusen), which refers to "idle talk, chat," and further from the Hebrew "shemu'oth," (news, rumors). Below are several other Yiddish words that are common in English:
- chutzpah = from the Yiddish "khutspe," which means nerve, guts, audacity (It took a lot of chutzpah to talk to the boss like that)
- kibitz = as in to chatter or to offer unwanted advice. From the Yiddish "kibetsn" (Whenever we play cards, he never stops kibitzing)
- glitch = as in a minor malfunction. Probably stemmed from the Yiddish "glitsh," a slippery place, cognate with the German "glitschig." (The computer network experienced a glitch this morning so we couldn't work)
- klutz = a clumsy person. From the Yiddish "klots," a wooden beam. Cognate with the German "Klotz" (block or brick)
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Trade shows offer good opportunities for schmoozing with potential customers."
