Crossword clues for nebbish
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Nebbish \Neb"bish\ (m[e^]b"[i^]sh) n. [Yiddish, nebekh poor, unfortunate.] A person who is ineffectual, timid, and often luckless; a person of no significance.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1905, nebbich, from Yiddish (used as a Yiddish word in American English from 1890s), from a Slavic source akin to Czech neboh "poor, unfortunate," literally "un-endowed," from Proto-Slavic *ne-bogu-, with negative prefix (see un- (1)) + PIE *bhag- "to share out, apportion" (see -phagous).
Wiktionary
n. One who is fearful and timid, especially in making decisions and plans, in discussions, debates, arguments, and confrontations, and in taking responsibility.
WordNet
n. (Yiddish) a timid unfortunate simpleton [syn: nebbech]
Usage examples of "nebbish".
Obviously, the nebbish was the sort who warmed to his topic once he started rolling.
Not the substitute who had showed up, some nebbish, clueless--how could Carl hire such people?
In the period of a year, I went from being a nebbish whose dream was to one day become a professional golfer to being an Israel expert-in-training.
Sometimes your confidence falls and you think of yourself as a nebbish, at which point you start losing your temper over nothing and become a bit of a bastard.
No wonder science fiction, fantasy and horror writers were regarded as wheezing geeks, spavined mouse-potatoes and cellulite-pocked nebbishes, unable to command their fair share of media attention.