ganef

English

Alternative forms

• ganif, ganof, gonef, gonif, goniff, gannef, gonof, gonoff, gonoph, gonnof

Etymology

From Yiddish גנבֿ (ganef), from Hebrew גנב (ganáv, “thief”).

Noun

ganef (plural ganefs or ganevim)

1. (slang, derogatory) A thief; a rascal or scoundrel.
   • 1999, Steve Stern, The Wedding Jester, Graywolf Press, page 86:

     The streets swarmed with hucksters, ganefs, and handkerchief girls who solicited in the shadows of buildings draped in black bunting.

   • 2011, Eric Dezenhall, The Devil Himself‎^[1], St. Martin's Press (Thomas Dunne Books), page 12:

     I would love to have a little inside knowledge that my grandfather's friends took down a president, but the reality is an endless procession of desperate little ganefs—and most of them are very small—trying to stay one step ahead of cops in suits from Sy Syms.

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

Anagrams

• Fagen, Fegan