Tchotchke

A collection of conference tchotchkes

Tchotchke (pronounced /ˈtʃɒtʃki/ choch-kee) are small toys, gewgaws, knickknacks, baubles, lagniappes, trinkets, or kitsch. The term has a connotation of worthlessness or disposability, as well as tackiness,^[1][2] and has long been used by Jewish-Americans and in the regional speech of New York City.

The word may also refer to swag, in the sense of the logo pens, key rings, and other promotional freebies dispensed at trade shows, conventions, and similar large events. Also, stores that sell cheap souvenirs in tourist areas like Times Square, Venice Beach, and Waikiki Beach in Hawaii are sometimes called "tchotchke shops."

Leo Rosten, author of The Joys of Yiddish, gives an alternate sense of tchotchke as meaning a desirable young girl, a "pretty young thing." Less flatteringly, the term could be construed as a more dismissive synonym for "bimbo." These usages are not common outside of Jewish circles. The term (in the form צאצקע, tzatzke, [ˈtsäts.qʕ], with a tsade instead of teth-shin) is sometimes used in modern Hebrew as a slang word equivalent to slut.

Etymology and spelling

The word Tchotchke is derived from a Slavic word for "toys" (Ukrainian: цяцька, tsiats'ka, [ˈtsjɑts.kɑ]; Polish: cacka, [ˈtsats.ka]; Slovak: čačka,^[3] [ˈtʃatʃ.ka] chach-ka, Russian: цацки, tsatski, [ˈt͡sat͡s.ki])—adapted to Yiddish טשאַטשקע, tshatshke, "trinket". A wide variety of spellings exist for the English usage of the term, e.g. tshotshke, tshatshke, tchachke, chachke, tsotchke, chotski, or chochke, because there is no standardized transliteration.

Popular References

• In the movie Office Space, Joanna (played by Jennifer Aniston) works at a restaurant called Chotchkie's, where she is forced to wear "flair".
• In the last episode of Seinfeld ("The Finale"), while Frank and Estelle Costanza lament the fate of their son George (he has been arrested for violation of the recently instituted Good Samaritan Law), they get into an argument about who is at fault and Estelle accuses Frank of "always [being] in Korea with [his] religious tchotchkes," to which he replies, "I HAD TO MAKE A LIVING!"
• In Sara Gruen's book "Water for Elephants" at the end of chapter 1, Mr. Jankowski refers to himself as a "worthless tchotchke".
• In the August 2, 2011 episode of White Collar a beautiful Egyptologist, played by Eliza Dushku, is known to smuggle priceless artifacts encased in "tchotchkes."
• At the University of Connecticut, Professor Michael Smith is widely known for his liberal use of "tchotchkes" during his organic chemistry lectures. The word has become a beloved staple of the Smith vernacular and has even developed something of a cult following among some of his students.
• In Phineas and Ferb tchotchkes are one of the items Baljeets uncle doesn't produce at his factory.
• The Cory Doctorow book Makers uses the word frequently as it is about the manufacture of useless knicknacks.

References

1. ^ "Tchotchke, chachka, tsatke...whatever", Seaway News
2. ^ "Inside the Bernie Madoff Tchotchke Auction", Gawker
3. ^ J. Kačala et al.: Short Dictionary of Slovak Language. Veda, 2003. [1] (meaning: cheap decorative thing, trinket)

External links

• Tchotchke etymology on WorldWideWords.org