Borscht Belt

English

Alternative forms

• Borsht Belt

Proper noun

Borscht Belt

1. An area in upstate New York, in the Catskills, in which there were once many Jewish camps and resorts.
2. A style of comedy which originated in resort nightclubs of this region, noted for its use of self-deprecation, wordplay, and Yiddish vocabulary.
   • 2007, Steven H. Scheuer, Alida Brill-Scheuer, Pocket Guide to Collecting Movies on DVD:

     Allen plays Alvy Singer, a Jewish comedian whose jokes are more Borscht Belt than sly urban wit.

   • 2012, March 2. Matt Soergel, "'Hedwig', 'Shortbus' filmmaker brings film, commentary to Five Points", Jacksonville.com.

     With my buddies, it's going to be very borscht belt, very shtick heavy.

Synonyms

• Borscht Circuit
• Jewish Alps

Translations

area in upstate New York, in the Catskills, in which there were once many Jewish camps and resorts

• German: Borschtsch-Gürtel m