Kibitzer

[Zeljko Kitich]

from Merriam-Webster's word of the day


Merriam-Webster’s
Word of the Day


June 5

kibitzer

\KIB-it-ser\


noun


Meaning


: one who looks on and often offers unwanted advice or comment; broadly : one who offers opinions

Example Sentence


Sybil warned Jack not to take any advice from Carl, a notorious kibitzer whose suggestions often did more harm than good.


See a map of "kibitzer" in the Visual Thesaurus.

Did you know?


The Yiddish language has given English some particularly piquant terms over the years, and "kibitzer" (or "kibbitzer") is one such term. "Kibitzer," spelled "kibitser" in Yiddish, came to that language from the German word "kiebitzen," meaning "to look on (at cards)." "Kiebitzen" may or may not be derived from a German word for "lapwing," a type of bird noted for its shrill and raucous cry. (We can speculate that the bird’s cry reminded people of the shrill commentary of onlookers at card games.) The word became more popular and widespread after the 1929 play The Kibitzer came out. Although "kibitzer" usually implies the imparting of unwanted advice, there is a respectable body of evidence for a kibitzer as a person simply making comments.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

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[Gary Ruben]

Re: Kibitzer

From the same dictionary, are the words "kibitzer" and "schmuck" (slang meaning), interchangeable?

An example might be, "My opponent won because that kibitzer/schmuck told him the moves."

:)

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: Kibitzer

You mean like I posted a post on Kibitzers and the first Schmuck to reply was of course Gary Ruben? :)

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Kibitzer

Wise guys and comedians. That's all I ever get these days. :)

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Kibitzer

With all respect to Gary's aspirations, I think he's more of a kibitzer than a schmuck.

I remember that, back in the old days, people from Montreal used to use the word "schmuck", more than any other Canadians. Perhaps a Montrealer should give the canonical meaning. I fail miserably in that regard, never having been more than a visitor to Regio Montanus. But without consulting a dictionary, I got the feeling that kibitzer carried with it a hint of the obnoxious, whereas a schmuck might be more of a dummy, a punter, a lamb to the slaughter, but when used in the most malevolent sense, a lite Evil Person.

A schmuck can be silent, a kibitzer cannot.

Some kibitzers think that kibitzing is helpful. Then they are also schmucks.

Aaaaaah yes. I remember "Schmeck, schmuck", said by a chess opponent who was going for that psycho-edge, upon giving a check to one's own monarch. Part of the banter, oh gawd!