bupkis
noun/ˈbʌp.kɪs/ · Yiddish-influenced /ˈbɔp.kɪs/
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.
- We searched for hours and found bupkis.
- But we did nothing, absolutely bupkis that day / And I say, what the hell am I doing drinking in L.A. at 26?1997, “Drinking in L.A.”, performed by Bran Van 3000:
1 more example
- She answered her own question. “Without the connection to other people,” she said, “you have bupkis.”2022 April 20, John Leland, quoting Robin Solod, “How Loneliness Is Damaging Our Health”, in The New York Times, →ISSN: