kibitz
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Yiddish קיבעצן (kibetsn), cognate to German kiebitzen (“to look on”), from German Kiebitz (“lapwing”), from Middle High German gibiz (“plover”), imitative of its cry.
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
kibitz (third-person singular simple present kibitzes, present participle kibitzing, simple past and past participle kibitzed)
- (intransitive) To make small talk or idle chatter.
- Synonyms: chat, gossip
- Louise and I used to head down to the coffee shop and just sit for hours and kibitz.
- 2004, Gerald W. Esch, Parasites, People, and Places: Essays on Field Parasitology, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN:
- His wife Karen listened as John and I kibitzed about our experiences at the University of Oklahoma some 40 years ago.
- 2004, David Daniel, Goofy Foot: An Alex Rasmussen Mystery, Minotaur Books, →ISBN:
- Okay, we kibitzed enough. What brings you?
- 2018 December 10, Eric Johnson, “Full Q&A: Y Combinator’s Sam Altman and Recode’s Kara Swisher discuss tech ethics, addiction and Facebook”, in recode[1]:
- So how it’s gonna go is we’re gonna talk for about 45 minutes. We’re just gonna kibbitz here; that’s Yiddish for just kinda like […]
- (intransitive) To give unsolicited or unwanted advice or make unhelpful or idle comments, especially to someone playing a game.
- Quit kibitzing! You're giving away my hand!
- (intransitive, transitive) To watch a card or board game.
- 2002, Elisabeth Merrett, Storied Landscapes: A Journey, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 103:
- […] stayed in the dorm, although she lived in Brooklyn Heights, and I frequently spent long hours with her, either in her room or at the student lounge, where we drank coffee and smoked cigarettes and kibitzed the never-ending bridge game.
- 2012, Nona Baldwin Brown, Through the Opening Door: My Pioneering Journey in Mainstream Journalism, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 37:
- When it was my turn to stay in the office until 11 pm. closing, I kibitzed on their poker games and heard some colorful tales.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
chit-chat
give unwanted advice
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See also[edit]
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Yiddish
- English terms derived from Yiddish
- English terms derived from German
- English terms derived from Middle High German
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
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- English transitive verbs