chutzpah

chutzpah
n
daring effrontery, impressive cheek. The word, pronounced 'hootspar', is via Yiddish from the Hebrew huspah (bra-zenness, audacity); it has been in use among non-Jewish Americans since at least the mid-1960s, but only appeared in the mid-1970s in Britain.
► 'I have valued my fleeting acquaintance with Larry Adler over the years because it has always given me an easy way of ex-plaining the meaning of the Jewish word chutzpah to those who have not met this valuable term. As far as I can define it briefly, it's an elegant opportunism, so fast as to deceive the eye, and so suc-cessful as to be totally disarming. Or what cockneys call bloody cheek.' (Miles Kington, Independent, 27 January 1989)

Contemporary slang . 2014.

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  • Chutzpah — (xʊtspə) est une forme d audace, en bien ou en mal. Le mot provient de l hébreu ḥuṣpâ (חֻצְפָּה), qui signifie insolence , audace et impertinence . Dans l usage moderne, il a pris un éventail plus large de significations. En hébreu, le mot… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • chutzpah — or chutzpa [hoots′pə, khoots′pə; hoots′pä, khoots′pä] n. 〚Yiddish < Heb〛 Informal shameless audacity; impudence; brass * * * chutz·pah also hutz·pah (KHo͝otʹspə, ho͝otʹ ) n. Utter nerve; effrontery: “has the chutzpah to claim a lock on God and… …   Universalium

  • chutzpah — also hutzpah, 1892, from Yiddish khutspe impudence, gall. from Heb. hutspah. The classic definition is that given by Leo Rosten: that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court… …   Etymology dictionary

  • chutzpah — [n] fearlessness arrogance, audacity, backbone*, balls*, boldness, brass, gall, nerve, spine*; concept 633 …   New thesaurus

  • chutzpah — ► NOUN informal ▪ shameless audacity. ORIGIN Yiddish …   English terms dictionary

  • chutzpah — or chutzpa [hoots′pə, khoots′pə; hoots′pä, khoots′pä] n. [Yiddish < Heb] Informal shameless audacity; impudence; brass …   English World dictionary

  • Chutzpah — For other uses, see Chutzpah (disambiguation). Chutzpah (  /ˈhʊ …   Wikipedia

  • chutzpah — chutzpa chutzpa, chutzpah chutzpah . [Yiddish khutzpa.] aggressive boldness or unmitigated effrontery; gall; as, he had the chutzpah to question my decision. [Also spelled {hutzpa}, and {hutzpah}.] Syn: audacity, audaciousness. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chutzpah — [[t]h ʊtspə[/t]] N UNCOUNT (approval) If you say that someone has chutzpah, you mean that you admire the fact that they are not afraid or embarrassed to do or say things that shock, surprise, or annoy other people. Such was his chutzpah that he… …   English dictionary

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