שמאַראָוואָזניק

Yiddish

Etymology

From Russian шма́ра (šmára, “prostitute”) + вози́ть (vozítʹ, “to carry, to transport”) + -ник (-nik). It is formed in a humorous way, based on other words ending in -возник (-voznik), such as навозник (navoznik, “dung transporter”) and парово́зный (parovóznyj, “locomotive”) + -ник (-nik), since it rhymes.

Alternatively, from Middle High German smirn, from older smirwen, from Old High German smirwen, from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic *smirwijaną (“to smear, to anoint”).

Noun

שמאַראָוואָזניק • (shmarovoznik) m

1. (derogatory, humorous) a pimp (a man who controls prostitutes and arranges clients for them)
2. a grease-smeared person; a wagon greaser