Re: mues

[Leopold N Friedman <apikoyros...>]

This explication of the word moos doesn't acknowledge that
the German slang word also originated from the Yiddish and 
was assimilated from there into German "slang." That it might 
have coalesced with the like sounding word for moss is irrelevant. 
Money has little in common with moss except the sound of its name. 

Languages can be notoriously promiscuous, but, in light of the
history of the Jews under German hegemony, gelt's Hebraic
Yiddish sibling should not be disinherited. There's a bottomless 
pit of cultural and symbolic associations, usually derogatory,
and worldwide but most particularly in Germany, linking Jews 
and money throughout history; it's curious that, in this case of 
an actual etymological link, it's absent.

The word mues can be found in its native habitat in the
song of the same name performed by Adrienne Cooper
on her (together with Zalman Mlotek) Ghetto Tango CD, 
performances appropriate to this season's remembrances
of Passover and the Holocaust.


On Wed, 28 Mar 2001 11:09:47 +0200 "Heiko Lehmann" <hklehmann (at) gmx(dot)de>
writes:
> In German slang the word appears as "Moos" (which also is "moss" in
> English). As a slang word it has the sole meaning of "money".
> 
> Heiko.
> 
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Robert A. Rothstein <rar (at) slavic(dot)umass(dot)edu>
> An: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> Gesendet: Sonntag, 25. März 2001 06:46
> Betreff: Re: mues
> 
> 
> > 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 
> ---------------------+
>