shlimazel
Definition
Noun: - A consistently unlucky or unfortunate person; someone who seems to experience failure or bad luck in most endeavors. This term originates from Yiddish and describes a person for whom things routinely go wrong.
Usage
The word "shlimazel" is used to describe a person characterized by chronic misfortune or clumsiness that leads to failure. It is often used in a humorous or sympathetic, rather than harshly critical, way. - He's such a shlimazel; he locked his keys in the car and then it started to rain. - Don't put her in charge of the reservations; she's a bit of a shlimazel when it comes to technology.
Advanced Usage
- The concept is often contrasted with a "schlemiel" (an inept, clumsy person who causes accidents). A common saying illustrates the difference: "A schlemiel is the one who spills the soup; a shlimazel is the one it gets spilled on."
- It can be used attributively (like an adjective) to describe a situation or quality.
- We've had a shlimazel week with nothing going right.
Variants and Related Words
- Schlimazel: An alternate, common English spelling of "shlimazel."
- Schlemiel (noun): A clumsy, awkward person; an inept bungler. Often paired with "shlimazel" to describe different types of unfortunate roles.
- Mazel (noun): Luck (specifically good luck). "Shlimazel" literally combines "shlim-" (bad) with "mazel" (luck).
Synonyms
- Jonah: A person who brings bad luck.
- Jinx: A person or thing that brings bad luck.
- Hard-luck case: Someone who experiences persistent misfortune.
- Unlucky person: A general term for someone without good fortune.
Idioms and Phrases
- A born shlimazel: Someone who is inherently and perpetually unlucky.
- Poor guy is a born shlimazel; he can't catch a break.
- The schlemiel and the shlimazel: Used together to describe a comedic pair or a situation where one person's clumsiness causes another's misfortune.
- Their partnership was like the schlemiel and the shlimazel; one would create chaos and the other would suffer for it.
Noun
-
(Yiddish) a very unlucky or inept person who fails at everything
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