"a schlemiel of" meaning 'a lot of'

[Mark Mandel]

I've heard "schlemiel" used where I'd expect "shmear", as in "the whole ___"
meaning "the whole thing / the whole mess / everything / all of it". Made-up
example:

"And what a breakfast! Coffee, bagels, lox, cream cheese, onion, orange
juice, oatmeal, toast, jam, French toast and *real* maple syrup ... the
whole {shmear / schlemiel}!"

I'd guess this person heard such usages and inferred that "schlemiel" meant
something like "a large amount".

Mark Mandel

On Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 10:47 AM, Barbara Need <bhneed at gmail.com> wrote:

> Overheard at the Post Office:
>
> At Thanksgiving "we had a schlemiel of guests." It was clear from the
> context that she was using this to express quantity--some comment
> about a shy child followed. I don't see anything like it via Google.
> Any thoughts?
>
> Barbara
>
> Barbara Need
> Etna, NY
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org