rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryschmuckFoolish or contemptible person
noun

schmuck

SHMUK/ʃmʌk/

A foolish or contemptible person.

The dishonest operator treats the trusting customer as a schmuck.

An eagerly trusting player bets on a rigged shell game while the operator secretly holds the ball off the table, making the player's gullibility visible.
Etymology
schmuckEast Yiddishpenis

East Yiddish shmok literally means “penis,” making the personal insult a transferred sexual term. The English sense carries contempt, not simply a judgment that someone is foolish or easily fooled.

In context

silverfish VT5:00
he kind of just looked at me like you poor schmuck you have no idea do you
How do you handle adversity?

More examples

  • She was tired of being treated like a schmuck.
  • What a schmuck he was to spoil the surprise.
  • The character used schmuck as a sharp insult.

Forms

schmuck · schmucks

Similar words

jerk
A common insulting term for an unpleasant person.
fool
Emphasizes poor judgment rather than contemptibility.