"the whole schlemiel"

[Jim Parish]

Laurence Horn wrote:
> "The whole shmear"?  Really?  That seems impossible
> to me, but then I know what a shmear is, at least in New York.

I believe that I have heard and used "whole shmear" in this sense. In
any case, one of the ghits includes this line:
"'The whole schlemiel'? I think you mean 'the whole schmear'".
Unfortunately, clicking on the link gives me a 404 error, but it's the fifth
or sixth (depending on how you count) hit on "whole schlemiel" (quotes
included), from the site www.hellinahandbasket.net.

Jim Parish

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