chachka

A collection of conference tchotchkes

Tchotchke (pronounced /ˈtʃɒtʃki/ choch-kee) are small toys, gewgaws, knickknacks, baubles, lagniappes, trinkets, or kitsch. The term has a connotation of worthlessness or disposability, as well as tackiness,^[1][2] and has long been used by Jewish-Americans and in the regional speech of New York City.

The word may also refer to swag, in the sense of the logo pens, key rings, and other promotional freebies dispensed at trade shows, conventions, and similar large events. Also, stores that sell cheap souvenirs in tourist areas like Times Square, Venice Beach, and Waikiki Beach in Hawaii are sometimes called "tchotchke shops."

Leo Rosten, author of The Joys of Yiddish, gives an alternate sense of tchotchke as meaning a desirable young girl, a "pretty young thing." Less flatteringly, the term could be construed as a more dismissive synonym for "bimbo." These usages are not common outside of Jewish circles. The term (in the form צאצקע, tzatzke, [ˈtsäts.qʕ], with a tsade instead of teth-shin) is sometimes used in modern Hebrew as a slang word equivalent to slut.

Etymology and spelling

The word "tchotchke" derives from a Slavic word for "toys" (Ukrainian: цяцька, tsiats'ka, [ˈtsjɑts.kɑ]; Polish: cacka, [ˈtsats.ka]; Slovak: čačka,^[3] [ˈtʃatʃ.ka] chach-ka, Russian: цацки, tsatski, [ˈt͡sat͡s.ki])—adapted to Yiddish טשאַטשקע, tshatshke, "trinket". Tchotchkes are often given at Chanukkah as part of a game.

A wide variety of spellings exist for the English usage of the term, e.g. tshotshke, tshatshke, tchachke, chachke, tsotchke, chotski, or chochke, because there is no standardized transliteration.

References

External links

Look up tchotchke in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Tchotchke etymology on WorldWideWords.org