schlemiel

Or schle·mihl,

[shluh-meel]

noun

Slang.

1. an awkward and unlucky person for whom things never turn out right.

schlemiel

/ ʃləˈmiːl /

noun

1. slang,  an awkward or unlucky person whose endeavours usually fail

Word History and Origins

Origin of schlemiel¹

1890–95; < Yiddish shlemil < Hebrew shəlumīʾēl Shelumiel, a Biblical and Talmudic figure

Word History and Origins

Origin of schlemiel¹

Yiddish, from German, after the hero of a novel by Chamisso (1781–1838)

Example Sentences

Although the series treats Blauner as a fretful schlemiel in early episodes — almost the moment we meet him, we hear about his hemorrhoids — he’s allowed to be a man of action later on.

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Ms. Williams and Marshall’s chant of “schlemiel, schlimazel” as they skipped together became a cultural phenomenon and oft-invoked piece of nostalgia.

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“No, like an utter schlemiel, I just walked in there. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

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And so the schlemiel became a stand-in for a generation.

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Herschel is neither a sentimental schlemiel nor a twinkly old-world grandpa, but rather an impatient, sometimes intolerant striver with a violent streak.

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