# Yiddish: ish gebibbel



## kahroba

I'd like to know whether "ish gebibbel" appearing in the following context, taken from "1919" by John Dos Passos, is Yiddish or [mangled] German and what does it mean:
Time: 1919
Location: Paris
Eveline and Paul are both Americans
Quote:
"Let's go to your place instead of mine," she said. "I'm afraid of my concierge." "All right... it's awful little," said Paul, giggling. "*But ish gebibbel, we should worry get a wrinkle.*"


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## solamentehayunajefa

'Ish gebibbel' just sound like gibberish and doens't mean anything in English. I think because in this context Paul's giggling it could be written in the way he says it while laughing eg the ish could be it's. I don't know what the gebibbel means though...


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## kahroba

Nun-Translator (English Only Forum member) tells me it's Yiddish. Look here
I just wanted to make sure this is the same "Ish Kabibble".


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## Nunty

Karoba said:


> Nun-Translator (English Only Forum member) tells me it's Yiddish. Look here
> I just wanted to make sure this is the same "Ish Kabibble".


No, I said exactly the opposite! 
I grew up speaking Yiddish; this is not Yiddish. This is gibberish. The links in the EO thread source that.


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## revmom

My dad used to play games with me and my friends. He would introduce himself to my friends as Ish Kabibble. 
I always found it to be a funny name, but as a child of the sixties and seventies, I did not think much about it, except that it was a game.
When my dad died two years ago, I researched his life for the funeral and discovered the truth about Ish Kabibble. He was a man, born January 19, 1908, by the name of Merwyn Bogue, in Pennsylvania. He was known for his work with the Kay Kyser Band. My dad always loved the Big Band music. He also always loved a good laugh, and Ish Kabibble provided such laughter. The name is known in the culture to translate to "I should worry?", however, it has no relationship to the Yiddish.


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## kahroba

Nun-Translator said:


> No, I said exactly the opposite!
> I grew up speaking Yiddish; this is not Yiddish. This is gibberish. The links in the EO thread source that.


Please excuse me dear Nun-Translator for my mistake. To tell the truth the words "but nonsense" in your post had mislead me ( I had read it differently):


> Growing in a home where Yiddish was one of the spoken languages, I was pretty sure that this is not Yiddish, but nonsense, and confirmed it here.


Thanks for your contribution once again.


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## Nunty

I probably have a misplaced comma in there.


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## David

I think the comedian Ish Kabibble spelled it with a K. He made several slapstick movies. He had bangs, hair growing down over his forehead, and when I was a boy, people would say "you look like Ish Kabibble" when your hair fell down over your eyes.


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