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He can be serious. It’s a bit late for a Wimbledon article, but Clive James wants to praise the commentary of John McEnroe nevertheless.
How do you pronounce yarmulke? I’ve read all the comments on this Crooked Timber post, and I’m still not sure.
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Okay, Yarmulke. It’s a Yiddish word meaning the little beanie or skullcap that observant male Jews wear all the time and that all males and some women wear when they are in the synagogue. Its origin is mysterious, although the ending -lke is a diminutive in Polish, so presumably it means a little yarmu. Perhaps it originally meant a cap or little hat, although some dictionaries say it’s from a Turkish word meaning raincoat, which makes no sense at all.
As for pronunciation: the dictionary tells you to say “YAR-mul-keh,” which isn’t wrong and is certainly correct if you’re a pirate. However, the way every American Jew under 70 pronounces it is “YAH-muh-kuh.” Older Jews may say “YAH-meh-keh.”
Thanks!
Now I wish I’d asked about “dreidel” too.
Dreidel, another diminutive (or perhaps a frequentative, a form of word meaning something that repeats), a Yiddish word meaning a little four-sided spinnning top, used in a children’s game at Chanukah. The origin is from dreyen, to turn, and is related to the English words “dray,” a sled, and “draw,” meaning to pull.
It’s pronounced “DRAY-dle,” to rhyme with ladle or cradle.