Oy vey

Oy vey (Yiddish: אױ װײ), or just oy,^[1] is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation ^[1] meaning "oh pain." According to Douglas Harper, the phrase is derived from Yiddish and is of Germanic origin.^[2] It is a cognate of the German expression Oh weh, or Au weh, a common expression used in Bavaria and Austria in similar situations, combining the German and Dutch exclamation Au! meaning "Ouch/Oh" and the German word Weh, a cognate of the English word woe (as well as Dutch wee meaning pain). The expression is also related to Oh ve, an older Danish expression that derives from Low German and Oy Wah, an expression used with a similar meaning in the Montbéliard region in France.

Alternative theories for the origin of the Yiddish expression have been proposed at various times. The word oy has been hypothesized as stemming from Biblical Hebrew, with cognates in other Semitic languages.^{[citation needed]} In the JPS Hebrew-English translation (pg 667) 2 Samuel 12:14 states oy vey (translated: my enemies) the phrase is intended to avoid saying "spurned the Lord", instead it says "spurned the enemies of the Lord". cf. note d-d at 1 Samuel 25:22^{[citation needed]}

A sign at the border of Brooklyn (2006).

In New York City, there is a sign on the Williamsburg Bridge that reads "Leaving Brooklyn: Oy vey!" because of the borough's large Jewish population.^[3]

Weird Al Yankovic's song "Pretty Fly For A Rabbi" on his album Running With Scissors frequently uses the phrase.^[4] There is a Jewish parody of James Bond who is called "Oy Oy Seven".^[5][6]

See also

• Jewish languages
• List of English words of Yiddish origin

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Oy Definition - Random House Unabridged Dictionary and Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English
2. ^ "Oy". Douglas Harper Online Etymology Dictionary. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oy. Retrieved 10 Oct 2011. 
3. ^ New York Times - NYT - "JIM RUTENBERG", February 25, 2006, "In September, a new sign went up on the Williamsburg Bridge, and it won national notice as another example of New York City's singularly abrasive charm: Leaving Brooklyn, Oy Vey! The sign, the brainchild of the Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz, gained attention in newspapers as far away as Pittsburgh and Kansas City."
4. ^ CNN - CNN - "Weird Al: Living up to his name": July 12, 1999
5. ^ NYT New York Times Book Review - September 3, 1965 - "by Sol Weinstein, called 'Loxfinger,' which introduces Israel Bond, the Hebrew Secret Agent whose number is 'Oy Oy seven.'" (Image citation via ProQuest: Books -- Authors. (1965, September 3). New York Times (1923-Current file),25. Retrieved October 11, 2010, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2007). (Document ID: 101566849).)
6. ^ Independent (Newspaper) - October 17, 1968, Long Beach, California - "....Wherein Israel Bond, Agent Oy Oy Seven, pulls off his final caper for the Israel M33 and 1-3 Bureau..."