ganef
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Yiddish גנבֿ (ganef), from Hebrew גנב (ganáv, “thief”).
Noun
editganef (plural ganefs or ganevim)
- (slang, derogatory) A thief; a rascal or scoundrel.
- 1999, Steve Stern, The Wedding Jester, Graywolf Press, page 86:
- The streets swarmed with hucksters, ganefs, and handkerchief girls who solicited in the shadows of buildings draped in black bunting.
- 2011, Eric Dezenhall, The Devil Himself[1], St. Martin's Press (Thomas Dunne Books), page 12:
- I would love to have a little inside knowledge that my grandfather's friends took down a president, but the reality is an endless procession of desperate little ganefs—and most of them are very small—trying to stay one step ahead of cops in suits from Sy Syms.
References
edit- Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967