An adaptation of a section of Michael Wex’s new book about Yiddish, Just Say Nu, has been published on the web site of the Jewish Daily Forward.

Plenty of nudniks speak Yiddish, and fear of their all-consuming tedium often causes Yiddish to be spoken at a clip that makes even the most agitated English sound like a pothead’s drawl; it’s a sign that either party to a dialogue is afraid that now is their last chance to get a word in.