bupkis

English

Alternative forms

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

Etymology

From Yiddish באָבקעס ‎(bobkes), plural of באָבקע ‎(bobke, “goat or sheep dropping”), from באָב ‎(bob, “bean”) +‎ ־קע ‎(-ke), from Proto-Slavic *bobъ.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbʌp.kɪs/, (US, Yiddishesque) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔp.kis/

Noun

bupkis ‎(uncountable)

1. Absolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.

   We searched for hours and found bupkis.

Usage notes

• Often translated as meaning small round fecal pellets, referring to the shape of goat droppings. A colorful usage, though a more emphatic expression (in Yiddish more so than in English) is "bupkis mit kaduchas" (באָבקעס מיט קדחת ‎(bobkes mit kadokhes), translating roughly to "shivering shit balls".

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:nothing

Translations

absolutely nothing

• Danish: bar røv at trutte i c
• Finnish: ei paskaakaan (fi)
• Romanian: canci (ro), nexam

• Swedish: nada (sv), inte ett skvatt (sv)
• Yiddish: באָבקעס ‎(bobkes)