Does anyone know this yiddish expression

iluvy ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 10:49 pm

"You're looking for it and you're praying that you won't find it."
Said to someone (e.g. a man) who is failing to find something that is going to take the sayer (e.g. his wife) one second to f ind.

My mother says my grandmother always used to say this. I'm wondering what the actual Yiddish phrase is. Does it sound familiar to anyone?

Molly Weasley

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:09 pm

iluvy wrote:

Sorry, no. I'm pretty well versed in Yiddish expressions

Unless you're not repeating it correctly

synthy ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:25 pm

There’s a joke about things that you’re looking for but praying you don’t find it: a blood spot in an egg, a hole in a lung, and a son in law a learner. Or something like that.

↑ iluvy ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:30 pm

synthy wrote:

There’s a joke about things that you’re looking for but praying you don’t find it: a blood spot in an egg, a hole in a lung, and a son in law a learner. Or something like that.

😂
Maybe that's it. Do you know it in Yiddish?

mother6

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:34 pm

synthy wrote:

There’s a joke about things that you’re looking for but praying you don’t find it: a blood spot in an egg, a hole in a lung, and a son in law a learner. Or something like that.

Or lice....

↑ synthy ↓

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:47 pm

iluvy wrote:

😂
Maybe that's it. Do you know it in Yiddish?

דריי זאכן זוכט מען און מען וויל עס נישט טרעפן:
א בליץ טראפ אין אן איי, א סירכה אין א לונג, און אן איידעם א תלמיד חכם

↑ iluvy

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:53 pm

Gonna ask my mother if this sounds familiar.
Thank you!

Thu, Aug 29 2024, 11:55 pm

synthy wrote:

Why not a learning Son in-law ?

↑ synthy

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 12:13 am

ap wrote:

Why not a learning Son in-law ?

Because that would involve paying “kest”, or support for all the years he’s learning. Of course everyone wants to proclaim that they need an eidem a talmid chuchim though.

Keep in mind this is an archaic joke.

dankbar ↓

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 12:43 am

Zichen a nudel in a barg fin shtroi.

Seek a sewing needle in a stack of hay.

Meaning impossible to find.

Or moishe, gei zich mir.

Like you think you know who this person is like, like a common name like moshe, like go find me now....like Moshe living in America. Look go find who this is....

↑ dankbar

Fri, Aug 30 2024, 12:45 am

Chumetz you also don't want to find when you're looking. ( except 10 crumbs hidden)