{"product_id":"9781604149425","title":"What's a Schmuck \/ Kosher Baseball","description":"\u003cp\u003eOddly, schmuck is a German word. An adjective meaning “attractive,” or a noun meaning a piece of jewelry. But the Yiddish or Jewish use of the word means almost the opposite. It is a word meaning penis or prick, but is frequently used to indicate an obnoxious or contemptible person. I got interested in the word myself from a Yiddish buddy of mine, who admired Mel Brooks the actor and movie producer-director. My Jewish friend is a rare blend of humorist and intellect — Barry Hyman — a tall, well-built former professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Washington. Barry keeps me laughing — a truly therapeutic experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarry and I used to toss the baseball back and forth and then sit and chat for long moments. On one occasion, he presented me with a paper oddly titled “Save the word Schmuck” and written by Mel Brooks. After his movie \u003cem\u003eBlazing Saddles,\u003c\/em\u003e I had come to admire Mel as a premier humorist. My interest in the word lingered, and led me to think about situations where the word would surface in a social environment, during verbal encounters. “A real schmuck, such a schmuck already, that guy doesn’t know diddly shit — a total schmuck,” are some examples.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo try and put things into perspective, trying to “describe” the word schmuck is like trying to portray or depict a sunset or a rainbow while getting soused during your grandson’s Bar Mitzvah.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo, anyway, read on my noble friend. I hope you enjoy and may your days be merry as you encounter many schmucks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fideli Publishing Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47056217669872,"sku":"9781604149425","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781604149425_p0.jpg?v=1763827728","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781604149425","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}