Chutzpah. Kibitz. Klutz. Maven. Schmooze. Tush. These are words derived from Yiddish that have worked their way into the American idiom. Most were introduced through entertainment—radio ...

“Nu” is one of these Yiddish words that has various meanings, like a call for somebody to do something: “Nu? Come on!” But it can also have a more curious implication, as if to ...