bupkis

English

Alternative forms

• bobkes, bopkes, bubkes, bubkis, bupkas, bupkass, bupkes, bupkiss, bupkus

Etymology

Borrowed prior to 1931 from Yiddish באָבקעס (bobkes), plural of באָבקע (bobke, “goat or sheep dropping”), from באָב (bob, “bean”) +‎ ־קע (-ke) calquing Polish bobek (“oval-shaped turd”), ultimately from Proto-Slavic *bobъ (“bean, fava bean”). Popularized by American Jewish writer Sam Denoff in mid-1960s The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʌp.kɪs/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (Yiddish-influenced) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔp.kɪs/

Noun

bupkis (uncountable)

1. (US, slang) Absolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.

   Synonyms: zilch; see also Thesaurus:nothing

   We searched for hours and found bupkis.

   • 1997, “Drinking in L.A.”, performed by Bran Van 3000:

     But we did nothing, absolutely bupkis that day / And I say, what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?

   • 2022 April 20, John Leland, quoting Robin Solod, “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     She answered her own question. “Without the connection to other people,” she said, “you have bupkis.”

Translations

absolutely nothing

• Danish: bar røv at trutte i c
• Faroese: ikki tað minsta
• Finnish: ei jälkeäkään
• German: gar nichts
• Romanian: canci (ro), nexam
• Spanish: nada (es)
• Swedish: inte ett skvatt (sv)
• Yiddish: באָבקעס (bobkes)

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “bupkes n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
• Eric Partridge (2005) “bupkes; bupkis”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volumes 1 (A–I), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 303.

Anagrams

• Biskup