kike

See also: Kike

English

Etymology

Probably from Yiddish קײַקל (kaykl, “circle”). In the early 20th century, illiterate Jews immigrating to the United States would sign papers with a circle as opposed to a more common X, the latter being associated by Jews with the Christian cross. This is the dominant etymological theory, but there are others.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -aɪk

Noun

kike (plural kikes)

1. (US, offensive, ethnic slur, religious slur) A Jew.

   Synonyms: (not always pejorative) yid, heeb, hymie, sheeny, shylock

   • 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “24”, in Babbitt:

     "Now you quit kidding me! What's the nice little name?" "Oh, it ain't so darn nice. I guess it's kind of kike. But my folks ain't kikes. My papa's papa was a nobleman in Poland, and there was a gentleman in here one day, he was kind of a count or something--"

2. (US, offensive) A contemptible person, especially one who is stingy.

   That greedy kike would not give me any money when I was starving and needed food.

Translations

offensive: Jew

• Armenian: ջհուդ (hy) (ǰhud)
• Belarusian: жыд m (žyd), жыдо́ўка f (žydóŭka)
• Bulgarian: чифу́т (bg) m (čifút), чифу́тин m (čifútin)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 犹太佬 (Yóutàilǎo)

• Danish: jødesmovs c, smovs c
• Dutch: neus (nl), kankerjood, smous (nl)
• Esperanto: judaĉo
• Finnish: jutsku (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: youpin (fr) m, youde m, youtre (fr) m
• German: Itzig m, Jid m, Krummnase f, Mauschel (de) m (all either archaic or restricted to right-wing slang; generally intelligible only compounds like Drecksjude m, Judenschwein n)
• Hebrew: יְהוּדוֹן (yehudon)
• Polish: Icek (pl) m, parch (pl) m, żydek m
• Romanian: jidan (ro) m, jidov (ro) m, târtan (ro) m
• Russian: жид (ru) m (žid), жидо́вка (ru) f (židóvka) (historical, now offensive)
• Swedish: judejävel c, judesvin n
• Yiddish: זשיד m (zhid)

contemptible person, especially one who is stingy

• Czech: žid (cs)
• Danish: nærigrøv c
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Geizhals (de) m
• Spanish: mano de guagua (es) f (Chile)

Further reading

• kike on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• ekki

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Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• kikke

Etymology

From Middle Dutch kiken. Related to Swedish kika.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /çiːke/, [çiːkə]

Verb

kike (imperative kik, present tense kiker, past tense keik or kek, past participle kiket, present participle kikende)

1. to look
2. to glance
3. to peek, peep
4. to peer
5. to gaze

Related terms

• kikkert

References

“kike” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• kika
• kikke
• kikka

Etymology

From Middle Low German kiken

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²çiːkə/

Verb

kike (imperative kik, present tense kik or kikar, past tense keik or kika, past participle kike or kika, present participle kikande)

1. to look
2. to glance
3. to peek, peep
4. to peer
5. to gaze

Related terms

• kikkert

References

“kike” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Swahili

Adjective

-a kike (invariable)

1. feminine, female

   Antonym: -a kiume