shtunk

shtunk
 n.— «Shtunk. From the Jewish. A smelly customer. [pencil] A bad customer. (Shtunk in Yiddish means a stink.)» —“Jewelry Auctioneers’ Jargon Obtained From Auctioneers and Jewelers on 42nd Street and 14th Street” by Hatch in New York City Lexicon of Trade Jargon , 1938-39. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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Further reading

What in Tarnation (episode #1599)

Language is always evolving, and that’s also true for American Sign Language. A century ago, the sign for “telephone” was one fist below your mouth and the other at your ear, as if you’re holding an old-fashioned candlestick...

That Burns My Onions!

A listener in Unadilla, New York, says her husband, whose family is French-Canadian, uses the phrase That burns my onions when something irritates him. There are several kitchen-related metaphors used to express anger, including that steams my...

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