Nosh & Kibbitz, September 8th

Recently I published a blog called Not Lost In Translation about words that sound similar to their definitions. I myself was laughing at all of those terms. If you missed that post here’s the link so you can catch up… https://jenslittleblackbook.com/2025/09/02/not-lost-in-translation-september-2nd/ What I omitted from that list was completely intentional. And they are two words (with a bonus) that I absolutely love that have a funny way of sneaking into my vernacular on a very regular basis. And those two words fit together perfectly. They are nosh and kibbitz.

In Yiddish a light meal or snack is called a nosh which needs no explanation but I will of course elaborate. I love the sound of that word. It’s playful and cute and denotes a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ and not a full meal. A nosh is something you can eat if you’re slightly hungry and not famished, or when something just looks good you want a little taste. It’s not a big commitment to calories.

The perfect way to describe a nosh harkens back to an old but still funny quote my Mother coined back in the late 80s. I was in high school and hanging out in the backyard with my bestie Doug. Mom popped out to say hello and offer us both cookies. Doug’s reply was shocking. He said no thank you because he wasn’t hungry. Her reply had us in tears laughing… “Doug! Since when do you have to be hungry to have a cookie?” That my friends is a great example of a nosh.

Going hand in hand with a nosh could be a schmear. We’ve always used that term in my house but I think Popup Bagels brought that item to the forefront with their bagel and schmear menu. They have a three bagel minimum order and their package deal comes with a complementary small spread of your choice– salted butter, scallion cream cheese, etc. that they refer to as a schmear. They even have specialty seasonal schmears. Ooooh. I love it. But I remember getting yelled at as a kid to not schmear my dirty hands all over the place! Yep, that sounds like me. Schmear is also used to “grease” or tip somebody that lets you sneak in or keeps them quiet about your shady behavior. Like did you schmear the driver for making a left on red? Yes, dear. (Also note: it is spelled schmear or shmear, but I like it with the c.)

While noshing and snacking are commonly known worldwide, the word kibbitz needs more context. Kibbitz is a verb that means to offer unsolicited commentary. It comes from the Yiddish word kibitsen, which means “to offer gratuitous advice as an outsider.” In other words to gossip. Apparently when the term originated it was used especially during a game. For example, “If you’re not playing poker but you keep whispering advice to your friend and looking at her cards, you’re kibbitzing.”

Synonyms of kibbitz include: babble, blab, cackle, chaffer, chat, chatter, chin, converse, gab, and gabble. No wonder you need snacks. A lot of energy is required to keep up that momentum!