Do any Yiddish speakers know a word that sounds like "lakadavit"?
Asked by
LuckyGuy (
43880
)
October 6th, 2014
The meaning is something like: “Do it! Don’t argue! Just do it – for your own safety!”
This word (or something like it) was spoken 50 + years ago by a friend’s grandmother. It was like a code.
Is this a word? What is the correct pronunciation? How would you translate it?
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10 Answers
Nothing that even looks close to it in “The Joy of Yiddish.”
Nothing that I have ever heard either.
I might not have it 100% correct. This is from a friend’s long ago memory. I sure do like the meaning of the word.
When we were in not the safest places in the world I would tell my kids “It’s important.” and they knew immediately to obey.
@BeenThereSaidThat means “charity.”
I’ve got a guess. There’s a Hebrew word “Akshav” that means now or right away that is used that way.
These are good suggestions. I will ask him.
Sending this to @zenzen, our Hebrew speaker.
Also Yiddish speaker but have no idea sorry.
Thanks for getting back to me! I asked the guy who told me about it (in his 50’s) and he thought it might have been a code word his grandparents might have made up. He gave as an example: If the police came, his grandmother would say it to him. He knew to shut up and let her handle it. No matter what she said he was to make no corrections, no butting in. Just shut up and let her handle it. Lakadavit
My father and his four brothers grew up in a household where some Yiddish was spoken, but when they reached their teen-aged years, they made up a language that they used among themselves even as adults. It was basic and elemental but it enabled them to behave as an exclusive little club. My sister and I still remember a little of it.
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