the big tsimmis

[victor steinbok]

Here's one exchange from WordReference.com:

http://goo.gl/j13Dd

Q:
> What might the word 'tsimmis' mean?
> '...And besides, who am I hurting?! In a year I'll buy back the bonds... So, a big tsimmis!'

A1:
> Tsimmis — a fuss, a disturbance. "Don't make a big tsimmis!"
> This is a Yiddish (Jewish slang) word.

A2:
> I've always seen it spelled "tzimmis." As Her Majesty says, it means a "big deal," "a big to-do."
> It's also a great sweet-savory side dish (or main dish with brisket)!

So, apparently, the "trouble" meaning even comes first for some users,
with the food gloss actually falling under "also". I suppose, the real
question is what came first as Google translates "Big Deal!" as
"tsimmes" (well, in proper script--צימעס). So is "tsimmes" stew so
named because it is a big fuss, big production, or did it go the other
way and started with the food (not likely this particular food, but
still related, no doubt). Note that in reverse translation Google only
gives several stew meanings for "noun" and "big deal" as an
interjection (which suggests the food-->trouble direction rather than
vice versa--but what does Google know!).

http://goo.gl/XgR5S
> Then he made a big tsimmes out of demanding that Israel freeze settlement building.

Interestingly, the "trouble/big deal" use persists in a variety of
venues. One Stanford project goes by the acronym TSIMMIS==The Stanford
IBM Manager of Multiple Information Sources" (a reference to a
generalized "browser") (here http://goo.gl/es5Gx -- particularly
http://goo.gl/5RCQt).

There is Google support for LH's distinction--the phrase "in the
tsimmes", which I would have expected to be a parallel formation to
"in the soup", "in the stew" or "haggis in the fire" (think, Star
Trek!), only shows up in two contexts--food, usually a recommendation
not put nuts in the tsimmes ;-) --or in reference to the TSIMMIS
system (and I searched for both spellings). "Big Tsimm()s" gets a lot
more hits and most are of the "trouble" variety.

Also there is obvious usage where "ts()r()s" would not work.

http://goo.gl/bNvzE
> Now there is a great tsimmis over new and more invasive airport security measures.

The closest word I can think of substituting here is "hubbub", but
certainly /not/ "ts()r()s".

Note that OED has both "tsores" and "tsimmes" (with "tsuris",
"tsimmas" as variants, although "tsimmis" can be found in examples).
"Tsores" is dated back to 1901, "tsimmes" in the food sense to 1892.
This is the earliest /other/ tsimmes:

> 1925 S. RAPHAELSON Jazz Singer 125 Brother Levy, I am the chairman of the Executive Committee. Make yourself a tsimmes from it... All right all right.

VS-)

On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 1:54 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>
>>
> I've always heard "tsuris" used as a mass noun, while
> "tsimmes"/"tsimmis" is a count noun, and I take the meanings to be
> roughly 'trouble' and 'mess' respectively (while also recognizing
> that the latter is literally the term for the stew you mention). Â You
> can make a tsimmis (either literally or figuratively) or you can be
> in tsuris, but not vice versa. YMMV. Â Mark?
>
> LH

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