bupkis
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editBorrowed prior to 1931 from Yiddish באָבקעס (bobkes), plural of באָבקע (bobke, “goat or sheep dropping”), from באָב (bob, “bean”) + ־קע (-ke) calquing Polish bobek (“oval-shaped turd”), ultimately from Proto-Slavic *bobъ (“bean, fava bean”). Popularized by American Jewish writer Sam Denoff in mid-1960s The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editbupkis (uncountable)
- (US, slang) Absolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.
- Synonyms: zilch; see also Thesaurus:nothing
- We searched for hours and found bupkis.
- 1997, “Drinking in L.A.”, performed by Bran Van 3000:
- But we did nothing, absolutely bupkis that day / And I say, what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?
Translations
editabsolutely nothing
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Further reading
edit- “bupkes n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
- Eric Partridge (2005) “bupkes; bupkis”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volume 1 (A–I), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 303.
Anagrams
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