A caller who grew up in New Jersey remembers hearing a neighbor use the expression Hak mir nisht ken tshaynik whenever she wanted to shush someone. He’s sure the phrase is Yiddish, but he’s never been able to figure out the literal meaning.

We solve the mystery for him. Hint: It has to do with teakettles. You’ll find more details about this colorful expression in Michael Wex’s book Born to Kvetch on Michael’s web site.

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