Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An extremely unlucky or inept person; a habitual failure.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A chronically unlucky person.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (Yiddish) a very unlucky or inept person who fails at everything

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Yiddish shlimazl, bad luck, unlucky person : Middle High German slimp, wrong + Yiddish mazl, luck (from Late Hebrew mazzāl; see mazel tov).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl), from Middle High German slim ("crooked") and Hebrew מזל (mazzāl, "luck")

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Examples

  • - – Mitt & Michele, schlemiel, schlimazel, hasenpfeffer incorporated!!

    Think Progress » Bachmann claims Romney doesn’t believe RomneyCare was ‘a good thing for’ Massachusetts. 2010

  • Moe is the schlimazel, the guy who's always at the receiving end of bad luck.

    Archive 2008-03-01 Kylopod 2008

  • The schlemiel/schlimazel distinction is played out throughout the series, as Curly is chronically stupid but not necessarily unlucky, while Moe is chronically unlucky but not quite as stupid as Curly.

    Archive 2008-03-01 Kylopod 2008

  • The schlemiel/schlimazel distinction is played out throughout the series, as Curly is chronically stupid but not necessarily unlucky, while Moe is chronically unlucky but not quite as stupid as Curly.

    The Three Jews Kylopod 2008

  • What's the difference between a schlemiel, a schlimazel, and a nebbish?

    The Three Jews Kylopod 2008

  • What's the difference between a schlemiel, a schlimazel, and a nebbish?

    Archive 2008-03-01 Kylopod 2008

  • Moe is the schlimazel, the guy who's always at the receiving end of bad luck.

    The Three Jews Kylopod 2008

  • Whether it's the duo who inspired 'Guy Love' and the other guy pair who would be quick to point out that there's nothing wrong with that or the Milwaukee ladies who schlemiel-ed and schlimazel-ed their way to making their dreams come true and the Miami foursome who proved friendship (and feistiness) is even more important in your 'Golden' years, these are the 20 TV

    Inside TV Blog 2010

  • Hence as v. trans., to make a schlimazel of a person

    NYT > Home Page By BEN SCHOTT 2010

  • Schlemiel means dolt, and schlimazel means an unlucky person in what language?

    KansasCity.com: Front Page 2010

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