tembel

[Sandra Layman <sandl...>]

Sorry to reply so late, but I get the digest.
I love this tsimbl/cymbale (etc.) discussion, but...

I suspect "tembel" originated among the Sephardim. It's likely to come from
the Turkish word "tembel," meaning "lazy."
The Greek version of the word is "tembelis" and also means "lazy."
According to the charming "Sephardic Folk Dictionary" by Al Passy, "tembel"
in Ladino also means "lazy, indolent."

Yours,
Sandra Layman
Violinist and word nut
sandL (at) compuserve(dot)com

------------------
Message-ID: <000001bf79c4$6752e520$275b4284 (at) ritzrev>
From: "ritzrev" <ritzrev (at) post(dot)tau(dot)ac(dot)il>
To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Subject: 
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 12:29:33 +0200

> In Polish they still say "Ty cymbale!" to say "You idiot!"
I wonder if Modern-Hebrew-slangish "Tembel" = "idiot" originates in this
"cymbale"

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