Re: Dreydlekh Question

[Sushiqueen <sushiqn...>]

In article <4bkake$4mm (at) newsbf02(dot)news(dot)aol(dot)com>, marvin3809 (at) 
aol(dot)com
(Marvin3809) wrote:

>  maxwellst (at) aol(dot)com (Maxwell St) wrote: 
> "Nun (from Hebrew "Nes") = You get nothing
> Gimmel ("Gadol") = you have to give me everything
> Hey ("Haya") = I get half 
> Shin ("Sham") = You don't get anything"
> 
> Not quite the way I learned the game.  Shin means you ante in a token or
> coin.  Your way, the pot never gets refilled.
> 
> (I can't say what the Yiddish word is that starts with Shin, meaning to
> put in, because of the new law about naughty language on the Internet.)
> 
> 
> Marvin Margoshes

There are various interpretations of the dreidel letters in Yiddish. The
one I learned was:
Nun = Nisht, nothing
Gimmel = Gantz, everything (take all) (some play this as Gib = give one)
Hey = Halb, take half
Shin = Shtel, put one in. I was not aware this was a naughty word.

When you play the game with standard rules, you find that the pot gets
depleted very quickly, and that the first person to spin has a handicap,
as the pot is never full when it comes around to that position. So you
have to make adjustments to even out the game. The dreidel rules in my
house are that there is a one piece ante from everyone before each spin;
if you land on Gimmel, the Take All letter, you must earn the pot by
singing a song or reciting a poem in Yiddish, and you have 5 seconds to
begin or you forfeit, and the pot goes to the next person! Also, on Shin,
instead of putting in one, you put in two; if you go bankrupt you can
borrow from the bank, and if there is any swearing, the offender puts in
two. This keeps the game going a lot longer, and the kids get a big kick
out of the performing rule.

Enjoy!

Wendy

Sushiqueen, Wendy's Home for Wayward Accordions
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