beulahbondo's Diaryland Diary

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Utzing around

Heh. I love my dad. He takes everything I ask so seriously. Yesterday we were emailing about Dick Cheney's dumb casual wear to the Auschwitz memorial (knit cap, obviously a freebie, and a nylon parka with his name embroidered on it). Dad referred to Cheney as a "rural putz." I asked him, "what's the difference between a putz and a yutz?" Here is his reply:

>>Putz:

Literally, vulgar slang for "penis." But the vulgarism is rarely used to designate the member; the word /schmuck /does that.

As used, /putz /is a term of contempt for:

1. A fool, an ass, a jerk.
2. A simpleton or yokel; an easy mark.

(From "The Joys of Yiddish," by Leo Rosten.)

Yutz:

A variation of (2) above. (My definition.)

My use ("...a rustic putz") fits Rosten's definition #1. The phrase has a nice rhythm, as well. Of course, "yutz" would work just as well, but the hard "p" sound of "putz" has more of an impact, verbally and written.

Love, D.>>

From now on, I'm going to append to every argument the sentence "that's not what the Framers intended." It's from Sam Lipsyte's new book.

We've gone three days without snow now...