Oy vey
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Look up oy vey in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up oy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- Further information: oy
Oy vey! is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation meaning "woe is me," or "oh no,". This exclamation was borrowed from Yiddish (אױ װײ). A related exclamation is "vey iz mir" (װײ'ז מיר) - woe is me.
[edit] Etymology
Although there is a Hebrew noun "אױ" meaning "woe," the Yiddish expression (like much of Yiddish) has its roots in Middle High German - in this case the word ouwê, from which also comes the Modern German exclamation "o weh/au weh," meaning "ouch."
[edit] Use in popular culture
- In New York City, it was used on a sign on the Williamsburg Bridge which read "Leaving Brooklyn: Oy vey!".
- In 1992, the band Tin Machine released a live album entitled Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby, a pun on U2's Achtung, Baby.
- In The Simpsons episode Like Father, Like Clown, Krusty's father, Rabbi Hyman Krustofski cries out "Oy vey iz mir!" when his son's identity is revealed at comedy club.
