putz
putz Lexical Profile
putz Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A foolish, stupid, or ineffectual person (informal slang).
"He felt like a complete putz after locking his keys inside the running car."
American An elaborate miniature nativity scene or decorative village display traditionally constructed under or around a Christmas tree, especially among Pennsylvania Germans and Moravians.
"Every December, the family spent an entire weekend arranging the moss, miniature houses, and carved figurines for their traditional Christmas putz."
• verb
North American To engage in idle, aimless, or unproductive activity; to potter or tinker around (often followed by 'around').
"I spent most of Sunday afternoon just putzing around in the garage instead of finishing my report."
Word Nuance & Usage
While widely used in mild, everyday North American slang to mean 'fool' or 'to dawdle', the noun originates from a vulgar Yiddish word for penis and may still be considered offensive by traditional Yiddish speakers.
• Rhymes for putz
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 19th to early 20th century from Yiddish 'pots' (penis, fool); the regional Pennsylvania German sense of a Christmas nativity scene derives separately from German 'putzen' (to decorate or adorn).