שמענדריקshmendrik meaning in Yiddish
an ineffectual nobody; a nebbishy small-fry nobody takes seriously · noun (masculine)
Also spelled in English: schmendrick
A shmendrik is the one who gets talked over at a table of four and never even notices.
ער שטייט ווי אַ שמענדריק מיט די הענט אין די קעשענעס און קיינער קוקט נישט אויף אים.
“He stands there like a shmendrik with his hands in his pockets and nobody even looks at him.”
Think of the person who somehow manages to be completely ignored even when standing dead-center in the room.
Yiddish insults and put-downsYiddish words for people and characters
Published 6 October 2026