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Permanent link for this word: noodge

Nov 23, 2010

This week's theme
Words from Yiddish

This week's words
schmeer
noodge
shamus
golem
schmegeggy

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

noodge or nudzh or nudge

PRONUNCIATION:

(nooj)

MEANING:

verb tr.: To pester; to nag.
verb intr.: To whine.
noun: One who pesters and annoys with persistent complaining.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Yiddish nudyen (to pester, bore), from Polish nudzic. The word developed a variant spelling 'nudge' under the influence of the English word 'nudge'. A cousin of this word is nudnik (a boring pest). First recorded use: 1960.

USAGE:

"My younger son wanted a dog as much as I didn't want one, and has wheedled and noodged me for a dog for about the past year."
Neil Steinberg; Notice: This is Not a Column About a Dog; Chicago Sun-Times; Sep 5, 2010.

"Rahm Emanuel is willing to be a relentless noodge to keep the herd moving in the right direction."
David Brooks; The Soft Side; The New York Times; Oct 5, 2010.

See more usage examples of noodge in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The institution of royalty in any form is an insult to the human race. -Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

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