Old Yiddish Curses
Eyn imglik iz far im veynik. One misfortune is too
few for him.
Shteyner zol zi hobn, nit kayn kinder. She should have stones and not
children.
Azoy fil ritzinoyl zol er oystrinkn.
He should drink too much castor oil.
Oyf doktoyrim zol er dos avekgebn.
He should give it all away to doctors.
Zol er krenken un gedenken. Let him suffer and
remember.
Zalts im in di
oygen, feffer im in di noz. Throw salt in his eyes, pepper in his nose.
Shteyner af zayne
beyner. Stones on his bones.
Trinkn zoln im piavkes. Leeches should drink him dry.
Lakhn zol er mit yashtherkes. He should laugh with
lizards.
A hiltsener tsung zol er bakumn. He should grow a
wooden tongue.
Krugn zol er di
(town name here) brokh. He should get the (town name here) hernia.
Fransn zol esn zayn layb. Venereal disease should
consume his body.
Farshporn zol er oyf(tsu)shteyn? Why bother getting up alive?
Er zol kakn mit blit un mit ayter. He should crap
blood and pus.
A kramp (a kram, a kortsh) im in layb (in boyakh, in di
kishkes, in di gederem, in
di finger). A cramp in his body (in his stomach, in his guts, in his
bowels, in his fingers and toes).
Meshuga zol er vern un arumloyfn (iber di gasn). He
should go nuts and run around (through the streets).
Vi tsu derleb ikh im shoyn tsu bagrobn. I should
outlive him long enough to bury him.
Got zol im bentshn mit dray mentshn: eyner zol im haltn,
der tsveyter zol im shpaltn un der driter zol im ba'haltn. God should bless
him with three people: one should grab him, the second should stab him and the
third should hide him.
A groys gesheft zol er hobn mit shroyre: vus er hot, zol men bay im nit
fregn, un vos men fregt zol er nisht hobn. He should have a large store,
and whatever people ask for he shouldn't have, and what he does have shouldn't be requested.
Ale tsores vos
ikh hob oyf mayn hartsn, zoln oysgeyn tsu zayn kop. All problems I have in
my heart, should go to his head.
A meshugener zol
men oyshraybn, un im araynshraybn. They should free a madman, and lock him
up.
Es zol dir dunern in boykh, vestu meyen az s'iz a homon
klaper. Your stomach will rumble so badly, you'll think it was Purim
noisemaker.
Migulgl zol er vern in a henglayhter, by tog zol er
hengen, un bay nakht zoler brenen. He should be transformed into a chandelier,
to hang by day and to burn by night.
Ale tseyn zoln bay im aroysfaln, not eyner zol im blaybn
oyf tsonveytung. All his teeth should fall out except one to make him
suffer.
Hindert hayzer
zol er hobn, in yeder hoyz a hindert tsimern, in yeder tsimer tsvonsik betn un
kadukhes zol im varfn fin eyn bet in der tsveyter. A hundred houses shall
he have, in every house a hundred rooms and in every room twenty beds, and a
delirious fever should drive him from bed to bed.
Vifil yor er iz gegangn oyf di fis zol er geyn af di hent un di iberike zol er
zikh sharn oyf di hintn. As many years as he's walked on his feet, let him
walk on his hands, and for the rest of the time he should crawl
along on his ass.
Zol es im onkumn
vos ikh vintsh im (khotsh a helft, khotsh halb, khotsh a tsent kheylik).
Let what I wish on him come true (most, even half, even just 10%).
In di zumerdike
teg zol er zitsn shive, un in di vinterdike nekht zikh raysn af di tseyn.
On summer days he should mourn, and on wintry nights, he should torture
himself.
Finstere leyd zol nor di mama oyf im zen. Black
sorrow is all that his mother should see of him.
Oyskrenkn zol er dus mame's milakh. He should get so
sick as to cough up his mother's milk.
Gut zol oyf im onshikn fin di tsen makes di beste.
God should visit upon him the best of the Ten Plagues.
Er zol altsting zen, un nit hobn farvos (mit vos) tsu
koyfn. He should see everything, but have no reason (with what) to buy it.
Khasene hobn zol er mit di malekh hamoves tokhter. He
should marry the daughter of the Angel of Death.
Tsen shifn mit gold zol er farmorgn, un dos gantse gelt
zol er farkrenkn. Ten ships of gold should be his and the money should only
make him sick.
Zayn mazl zol im layhtn vi di levone in
sof khoydesh. His luck should be as bright as a new moon.
Er zol hobn
paroys makes bashotn mit oybes krets. He should have Pharaoh's plagues
sprinkled with Job's scabies.
Heng dikh oyf a
tsikershtrikl vestu hobn a zisn toyt. Hang yourself with a sugar rope and
you'll have a sweet death.
Me ois vaxen svi
a tsibele miten cup in vant. You should grow like an onion with your head
in the ground.
