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bupkis. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
bupkis, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
bupkis in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed prior to 1931 from Yiddish באָבקעס (bobkes), plural of באָבקע (bobke, “goat or sheep dropping”), from באָב (bob, “bean”) + ־קע (-ke) calquing Polish bobek (“oval-shaped turd”), ultimately from Proto-Slavic *bobъ (“bean, fava bean”). Popularized by American Jewish writer Sam Denoff in mid-1960s The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbʌp.kɪs/
- (Yiddish-influenced) IPA(key): /ˈbɔp.kɪs/
Noun
bupkis (uncountable)
- (US, slang) Absolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.
- Synonyms: zilch; see also Thesaurus:nothing
We searched for hours and found bupkis.
1997, “Drinking in L.A.”, performed by Bran Van 3000:But we did nothing, absolutely bupkis that day / And I say, what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?
2022 April 20, John Leland, quoting Robin Solod, “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:She answered her own question. “Without the connection to other people,” she said, “you have bupkis.”
Translations
Further reading
- “bupkes n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
- Eric Partridge (2005) “bupkes; bupkis”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volume 1 (A–I), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 303.
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