Does anyone else say “I feel chaloshes” for tired/weak

amother

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:33 pm

We grew up saying that to mean I feel worn out, weak, tired, dizzy, etc. I find myself having to translate it for other frum people often who misunderstand me and think I’m trying to say that I’m “chaloshing” for something. Obviously both terms come from the same word but not used the same. Would love to know if you also say this.

amother

Cerise

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:37 pm

Chassidish people say that. I’ve heard my Chassidish relatives and friends talk like that.
No one litvish would say that

amother

Turquoise

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:39 pm

sneakermom wrote:

To me that translates to “I feel terrible”

Right. More than tired and weak. More like a wreck.

Fave

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:39 pm

Chalashing is Yiddish is fainting - “I’m chalashing” means that I’m weak and dizzy and feel like I’m gonna faint.

Some people use it in place for “wanting something badly”. I’m not sure why.

Chalushes is used to replace the word horrible/disgusting. “This room smells chalushes.”

Last edited by Fave on Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:39 pm

amother [ Cerise ] wrote:

Chassidish people say that. I’ve heard my Chassidish relatives and friends talk like that.
No one litvish would say that

That is very interesting. My father is a Holocaust survivor from Poland and didn’t grow up religious. It must just be a native Yiddish expression rather than a Yinglish expression?

amother

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:42 pm

amother [ Turquoise ] wrote:

Right. More than tired and weak. More like a wreck.

Yes indeed that was my “etc.” haha. Like oysgematert but in a sick kind of way.

amother

Royalblue

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:43 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

That is very interesting. My father is a Holocaust survivor from Poland and didn’t grow up religious. It just just be a native Yiddish expression rather than a Yinglish expression?

My father in law was the same! Polish Holocaust survivor. I heard him use the term.

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:44 pm

amother [ Cerise ] wrote:

Chassidish people say that. I’ve heard my Chassidish relatives and friends talk like that.
No one litvish would say that

So funny, I'm a proud litvack and I used to say it all the time. But, I went to a mostly chassidish school and that's probably where I picked it up. My brothers used to make fun of my yiddish, it was a really bad mix of litvish, chassidish and English LOL

Reality

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:44 pm

In my non yiddish speaking house, my mother used it to describe non tznius clothing. As in that is a chalashes bathing suit.

amother

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:45 pm

Fave wrote:

We also use it when vegetables or herbs go bad and look gross we say it looks chaloshes/farshimilt

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:49 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

We also use it when vegetables or herbs go bad and look gross we say it looks chaloshes/farshimilt

Wow, you're bringing back some words I haven't heard or though of in years, chaloshes, oysgematert, farshimilt. This is fun!

amother

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 8:56 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

Wow, you're bringing back some words I haven't heard or though of in years, chaloshes, oysgematert, farshimilt. This is fun!

That is so fun! I wish I could know what other ones you haven’t heard in a long time so I can remember too!! Smile

amother

Salmon

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 9:00 pm

I would find it strange if someone used that expression. I probably wouldn't ask what it meant though, I'd get it from context.

ValleyMom

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 9:22 pm

I said that when I was growing up in brooklyn- Now, it just sounds hilarious to me, havent spoken like that in YEARS!

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 9:23 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

That is so fun! I wish I could know what other ones you haven’t heard in a long time so I can remember too!! Smile

My very chassidish boss and his wife were having a conversation in front of me once, and she used the wrong yiddish word, and he knew it was wrong but couldn't come up with the right word. I blurted out "arangetein" and they both just stared at me! It was the right word, but I don't even know where it came from. I never speak yiddish anymore, but I love those long words like oysgematert and arangetein.

youngishbear

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 9:30 pm

Fave wrote:

It is used like the English idiom "I'm dying for an xyz."

The word chaloshes reminds me of the Country Yossi song Fetteh Shmeel.

"He turned green and got chaloshes
He began to moan and groan
Er hut ungefangen shvitzen
And he stumbled and he tumbled..."

I mostly hear it about something awful or terrible, as in substandard.

"Our hotel room was chalooshes... bedbugs and a broken toilet..."

amother

Thu, Oct 08 2020, 9:32 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

Hahahha you’ve got me stumped! What is arangetein??