Re: mues

[Robert A. Rothstein <rar...>]

Lori Cahan-Simon wrote:

> I seem to remember, a long time ago, a discussion about the origin of
> the word "muess" as a slang for money in some songs, I think.  I cannot
> remember the general consensus, except that of German origin or a
> corruption of Moshe.  I recently ran across a description of "mo-os
> chittim", a fund collected by the rabbi and well-to-do members of the
> community by going house to house to be given to poor people to buy
> wheat to bake matsos at peysakh time.  Do any in our learned community
> think this word could be the origin?

        "Mues" is the southern (Polish or Ukrainian) Yiddish  version of
"moes,"
which derives from a post-biblical Hebrew word for money
(mem-ayin-vov-sof).
The Hebrew word (of unknown origin) was originally the plural of the name
of a
coin of Talmudic times (mem-ayin-hey).  The Yiddish term was used in both
Jewish
and Polish underworld slang presumably since it would be less recognizable
than
"gelt," which is identical to the German word for money.  ("Masz mues?" in
the Polish
underworld meant "Got any money?")  "Moes-khitn" or "moes-khitim" (money
for
wheat), from the same word, was indeed the money collected for poor people
for
matzos.  There's a proverb that says "Dos gantse moes-khitin geyt baym
shiker avek
af khometsdikn bronfn" (The drunkard spends all the money he gets for
matzos on
non-kosher-for-Passover liquor.)

        Bob Rothstein

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+