utzy

adj. uncomfortable, bothered, uneasy. Subjects: English, Yiddish, United States

Etymological Note: Probably from the Yiddish utz ‘to tease, bother, nag,’ related to the German uzen ‘to tease, to kid,’ and perhaps reinforced by antsy.

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Citations: 1989 Nina J. Easton Los Angeles Times (Jan. 30) “‘Rain Man’ Sends a Global Message”: Shelley Long, wearing more fabric on her shoulders than on her legs: “I get a little utzy.” (Translation: She misses the constant work of a TV series.) 2003 [Brenda G. Kent (wt211@victoria.tc.ca)] Usenet: alt.pagan (Aug. 10) “Re: The Pagan Way”: Getting all utzy due to non-perfected English seems a little passive-aggressive to me. 2003 [Evelyn C. Leeper (eleeper@optonline.net)] Usenet: rec.arts.sf.fandom (Aug. 12) “Re: Going to Torcon”: Plus these are the same people who had to go to a strange hospital when the grandmother who was with them at a convention slipped and broke her wrist, so they’re understandably “utzy” about travel in general. 2004 Susan Dominus New York Times (Aug. 29) “What Women Want to Watch”: Mr. Graff, now 53, thought he had retired back in 1999 when he sold Spice to Playboy TV for a neat $100 million, moved to a small town near the Berkshires and took over an old country store. “I sliced bologna, sold mice traps, penny candy,” he says. “It was my Norman Rockwell moment.” And then? “I got utzy,” he says. “I got bored.”

Posted 30 Aug 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

I’m not familiar with the Yiddish word “utz”. Which Yiddish dictionary or thesaurus did you find it in?

by sholemberger 06 Sep 04, 0823 GMT

I’m not sure which one I pulled it from, but when researching Yiddish words, I tend to consult the following:

Modern English-Yiddish Yiddish English Dictionary, Uriel Weinreich (YIVO, New York, 1968).

Harkavy’s Manual Dictionary (Hebrew Publishing Co., New York, 1894).

Anglish/Yinglish, 2e, Gene Bluestein (U. of Neb. Press, Lincoln, 1998).

Hooray for Yiddish!, Leo Rosten (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1982).

The Joys of Hebrew, Lewis Glinert (Oxford University Press, New York, 1992).

Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, Chaim M. Weiser (Rowman & Littlefield, Maryland, 2004).

The Oxford English-Hebrew Dictionary (Oxford University Press, New York, 1998).

by Grant Barrett 07 Sep 04, 1157 GMT

Also, the Harper Collins German Dictionary, Unabridged Second Edition (New York, 1995).

by Grant Barrett 07 Sep 04, 1210 GMT

Interesting word. My dad often uses the variant “utchly” to describe being mildly ill tempered for no descernable reason. He got it from his mother, who was a first generation American from German parents. I currently use it to warn my husband as in, “Be nice to me; I’m in an utchly mood.” What I’m meaning is, don’t push me or I’ll go from a mildly bad mood to a really bad mood.

by CynthiaRD 23 Dec 08, 0428 GMT