chutzpa

or chutz·pah, hutz·pa, hutz·pah

[ hoot-spuh, khoot- ]
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nounSlang.
  1. unmitigated effrontery or impudence; gall: He had the chutzpa to threaten to sue the people who caught him cheating.

  2. bold self-confidence; daring: He got his first article published through sheer chutzpa while working as a telephone operator for a news agency.

Origin of chutzpa

1
First recorded in 1890–95; from Yiddish khutspa, from Aramaic ḥūṣpā

Words Nearby chutzpa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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