Re: mues

[Lori Cahan-Simon <l_cahan...>]

Thanks for the clear explanation and the proverb.  Is the spelling you use
below preferable to the one I quote from the book I read?
Lorele

"Robert A. Rothstein" wrote:

> 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 ---------------------+