bupkis
or bub·kes
[ buhp-kuhs, buhp-kis ]
noun
nothing: They've told us bupkis—we're going to have to find out what's going on for ourselves.
very little; the smallest amount: It was a revolutionary piece of technology, and yet the inventor sold it for bupkis.
Origin of bupkis
1First recorded in 1935–40; from Yiddish bobkes, plural of bobke “piece of goat excrement, worthless thing,” literally “little bean,” from Slavic, equivalent to Polish bób “broad bean” + -ke, diminutive suffix; see also bean
- Also bup·kes, bup·kus, bub·kis .
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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