Bupkis

by **sluggo** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 3:56 am

Bupkis (BUP-kiss)

Nothing, nada, zilch, a USian version of the British buggerall - often but not always used as one of a pair of double negatives: "He knew bupkis about farming"/ "He didn't know bupkis about farming".

Imported from Yiddish ("beans")?

Was reencouternated with this wonderfully whimsical word in a totally unrelated tangent surf-- on, of all things, an automotive message board. Made me wonder how many years it had been since I've heard it used. Time to bring it back?

by **Perry** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 10:49 am

Yes, this is from the Yiddish for beans.

A wonderful opposite expression for someone that does know what he/she is talking about or doing, "really knows his onions". I have know idea what the origin is.

by **Palewriter** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 3:38 pm

Perry wrote:Yes, this is from the Yiddish for beans.

A wonderful opposite expression for someone that does know what he/she is talking about or doing, "really knows his onions". I have know idea what the origin is.

Here's the skinny on "know your onions", from the excellent World Wide Words site.

Incidentally, "bugger all" has a couple of sibling expressions in Brit. "Sod all" used to be heard much more than it is today. The ubiquitous F-word+all is probably more heard today than when I was a nipper.

-- PW

by **sluggo** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 4:27 pm

I have heard F-word-all from a couple of USians, though usage of bugger- and sod- seem to stay reserved for the UK.

Diddley, Squat and Jack (or jack-****) are more synonyms in North America. How many others might we think of?

by **Palewriter** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 4:55 pm

sluggo wrote:I have heard F-word-all from a couple of USians, though usage of bugger- and sod- seem to stay reserved for the UK.

Diddley, Squat and Jack (or jack-****) are more synonyms in North America. How many others might we think of?

Sweet Fanny Adams is an expression that used to be in vogue. Strictly ostpondial, as far as I know. Acronym-based, of course.

-- PW

by **sluggo** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 5:55 pm

Palewriter wrote:
Sweet Fanny Adams is an expression that used to be in vogue. Strictly ostpondial, as far as I know. Acronym-based, of course.

-- PW

Nice info PW. And I just love "ostpondial"!

by **Bailey** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:36 pm

The F-word here is, hopefully yet, not said in polite or even normal society.

mark-reserves-the-really-bad-words-for-self-mashed-thumbs* Bailey

*and usually in private

by **gailr** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:39 pm

Where is Brazilian_dude to tell us that he doesn't know squat about this?

Bupkis is not be confused with its homonym pupkus
(sniglet n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it.)

-gailr

by **sluggo** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 3:32 am

Bailey wrote:The F-word here is, hopefully yet, not said in polite or even normal society.
...

No, but that sort of society wouldn't apply to the circles I go around in... although one of those USian uses I heard was on TV (Dennis Miller).

by **Bailey** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:30 pm

Oh I hear it on BBC-A ALL the time, and worse. and cable, they act like folks have used it for centuries.

mark dag-nabbit Bailey

by **tcward** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:13 pm

I think a lot of people mispronounce this word, or think it is pronounced bumpkiss (with an 'm').

And here's even more from World Wide Words on beans.

-Tim

by **Palewriter** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 12:44 am

sluggo wrote:No, but that sort of society wouldn't apply to the circles I go around in...

Sorry to hear you're going around in circles, Sluggo. I know the feeling very well.

-- PW

by **Stargzer** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:29 am

Palewriter wrote:
sluggo wrote:No, but that sort of society wouldn't apply to the circles I go around in...

Sorry to hear you're going around in circles, Sluggo. I know the feeling very well.

-- PW

"Blessed are they who run in circles, for they shall be known as Big Wheels."

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