heeb

English

Alternative forms

• hebe, Hebe, Heeb

Etymology

Clipping of Hebrew.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hiːb/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːb

Noun

heeb (plural heebs)

1. (slang, US, outdated, derogatory, ethnic slur) A Jew.

   Synonyms: (not always pejorative) Yid, Hymie, kike, sheeny, shylock

   • 1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Quit Foolin’ with That Comb”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 1 (1899–1923: A Nothin’ but a Child), page 49:

     Most of the famous and up-and-coming performers of the day […] were heebs, and the boys had the feeling that we should all stick together and not knock the big names of "our" race.

Derived terms

• heebish

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “Hebe n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Anagrams

• Hebe, hebe, hebe-