oy gevalt

Also oy

[oi ge-vawlt]

interjection

Yiddish.

1. (used to express dismay, pain, shock, grief, etc., or as a cry for help).

   I’ve had a nasty week, and, oy gevalt, it's only Monday!

   As I stood in shock, surrounded by broken glass, I could hear my mom shouting, "Aaron! Oy gevalt!"

Word History and Origins

Origin of oy gevalt¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from Yiddish oy gevald “oh woe,” from oy oy ¹ ( def. ) + gevald “force, violence”; herald ( def. ), wield ( def. )

Example Sentences

Oy gevalt, she was utterly meshuge.

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I bucked beneath him—not Frankie, oy gevalt, it’s not him anymore—and tried to shout, but the cord strangled all sound.

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“Frankie, what I said back there about love, I—” Oy gevalt, why wouldn’t the words come out?

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Then I think God wipes her brow and goes, "Oy gevalt."

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Having grown up in the Bronx, I can tell you: Oy gevalt, these companies are driving me meshugeneh.

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