Re: ungapatchka

From: aemelnick <aemelnick_at_yahoo.com_at_hypermail.org>
Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:55:08 -0000

I asked my mom about this. Her reply:

>>Dear Alex,
I use this word to mean "overdone". Not in a garish sense, but just over handled or over painted. " too much messing with" The painting was unga patchkaed or be careful not to ungapatchka the frosting on the cake.

For the last word on ongepotchket, I went to the Joys of Yiddish by Leo Rosten. From russian pachkat: to soil, to sully.
1. slapped together or assembled withut form or sense.
2. messed up: excessively and unesthetically decorated, overly baroque. "she wore her new diamond earrrings, a necklace, bracelet, two rings and a brooch. Oy, was she ongepotchket.
 
So that is that the last word from this yackne or yenta.
Love, mom<<


--- In OliveStarlightOrchestra_at_yahoogroups.com, Susan Oudiz <soudiz@...> wrote:
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> Dean, Debbie - are you familiar with this term?
>
> I finally got around to asking my Mom yesterday about the word "ungapatchke" this is one of those funny words she uses and I've no idea of the origin.  She would use it from time to time to refer to something getting "potched" as if screwed up somehow.  She said her Uncle Abe used that term.  When I asked if it had Yiddish derivation, she said yes. 
> I googled it just now and got this different meaning of "garish".  Mom doesn't like garish things, so maybe making something garish screws it up for her! 
> Mom's memory is going and she didn't remember it at first, and she giggled at it.  I've got to ask her these things now before time runs out.
>
> Cheers,
> Susan
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Received on 2009-08-17 17:55:41