Shlimazel
Meaning
A shlimazel is an extremely unlucky person, someone who consistently experiences misfortune and bad luck.
Origin
The vibrant Yiddish language, a rich fusion of German, Hebrew, and Slavic tongues, gifted English the word "shlimazel." It's a portmanteau, seamlessly blending the German "schlimm"—meaning 'bad' or 'unfortunate'—with the Hebrew "mazal," which signifies 'luck' or 'destiny.' A shlimazel, then, is quite literally someone cursed with "bad luck," a person for whom fate always seems to take a turn for the worse, no matter their intentions. The term evocatively captures a universal human experience: the person who, despite their best efforts, perpetually finds themselves on the wrong side of fortune's fickle coin.
Examples
- Poor Mark is a real shlimazel; he tripped over a flat rug and then spilled coffee all over his new shirt on the same morning.
- It seems like everything goes wrong for her; she's such a shlimazel, always finding herself in the most unfortunate situations.