schlemiel
or schle·mihl, shle·miel
[ shluh-meel ]
nounSlang.
an awkward and unlucky person for whom things never turn out right.
Origin of schlemiel
11890–95; <Yiddish shlemil<Hebrew shəlumīʾēl Shelumiel, a Biblical and Talmudic figure
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for schlemiel
schlemiel
schlemihl or shlemiel
/ (ʃləˈmiːl) /
noun
US slang an awkward or unlucky person whose endeavours usually fail
Origin of schlemiel
1Yiddish, from German, after the hero of a novel by Chamisso (1781–1838)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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