"RH" == Ron Hoenig <rhoenig@camtech.net.au> writes:

RH> Just to add to the etymological discussion,- or perhaps to confuse it - my
RH> parents have always used "mayre" to mean "fear". combining Hungarian and
RH> Yiddish, as in "Ne mayresz??" ie. "Don't worry" or "Nagyon mayrezik" -
RH> he'/she is very afraid".
RH> Am I just mixing this up? Is it connected with evil doings?.

I'll second this usage by my parents.

RH> By the way, non- Australians may be interested that Jewsih elements in the
RH> English underworld may be responsibile for "Aussie" slang words like
RH> "cobber" for friend and "shiv" for knife.

I can see the claim for cobber (chaver) but what would be the origin
of 'shiv'.

Chaim Frenkel
Brooklyn, NY

May I suggest that when posting a followup that the majority of the
posting be the reply? Leave enough of the original for context, but
edit out the extraneous material.

It took me several attempts before I was able to locate the actual text
of the reply.


--
Chaim Frenkel Nonlinear Knowledge, Inc.
chaimf@pobox.com +1-718-236-0183