Fun with the Yids

Interesting times while visiting with my family yesterday. My parents, Abbot (Abba) Yid and Mother Superior (Mama) Yid, had an altercation while I was out. They were speaking with their contractor, who's redoing their kitchen. Apparently on one of the last days of the construction, while the contractor was looking things over, Mama Yid decided to try and haggle. Abbot was so embarrassed he had to leave the room, and made the major mistake of calling her a "schnorer". (Gasp)

Abba has been in the doghouse for a day and a half now. The best moment of this, though, was last night when Mama came into the living room while my brother Deacon and I were hanging out.

"Do you have your Yiddish-English dictionary lying around?"

Blank state. "Um, ok. I don't know if I have it. What do you need it for?"

"None of your business."

Hmm. Go look among my books in my old room. (I have several copies of these things.) Come back out. "Actually, it's not here. If you tell me the word I could probably tell you what it means, though."

Angry stare. "I don't want to talk to you about it."

*I realize I'm an idiot* Ohhhh.

*Scurry aside to let the warpath continue*

Poor Abba. He'd run away if he could, but he's just had foot surgery, so she's got a captive audience.

But it is kind of funny that Mama Yid doesn't know enough Yiddish to be sure this word is as pejorative as she thinks it is.