жлоб

From Yiddish זשלאָב (zhlob, “goyish bumpkin, redneck”), derived from Polish żłób (“manger, furrow”), ultimately from Proto-Slavic *žȇlbъ. Doublet of жёлоб (žólob, “trench, trough”), an inherited form.

Originated in klezmer musician cant (Klezmer-loshn). The nature of the semantic shift from "manger, crib" to "boorish goy" remains unclear. By the year 1869 however, it had become common enough to be included in a Russian-Yiddish dictionary published in Zhytomyr. Jewish immigrants brought the word to the United States, where it is best known under the form schlub. In the Russosphere, the word жлоб spread seemingly through criminal slang, which is considerably influenced by the Odessan dialect.

• IPA^(key): [ʐɫop]

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жлоб • (žlob) m anim (genitive жлоба́, nominative plural жлобы́, genitive plural жлобо́в, pejorative collective жлобьё)

1. (slang) schlub

   Synonym: жмот (žmot)

   • 1904, Lazar Karmen, На дне Одессы (The lower depths of Odessa)‎^[1], Odessa, Russian Empire:

     Не угодно ли такую сцену? В море народа, зачернившего все улицы, все углы, острые и тупые, толчка, бурлящего и грохочущего, въезжает на своей телеге жлоб (мужик). На задке телеги под полуденным ярким солнцем жар-жаром горит красный сундучок, расписанный «пукетами» роз и позвякивающий своим новеньким английским секретным замочком. Сундучок сей – свадебный подарок его дочери-невесты.

     Ne ugodno li takuju scenu? V more naroda, začernivševo vse ulicy, vse ugly, ostryje i tupyje, tolčka, burljaščevo i groxočuščevo, vʺjezžajet na svojej telege žlob (mužik). Na zadke telegi pod poludennym jarkim solncem žar-žarom gorit krasnyj sundučok, raspisannyj «puketami» roz i pozvjakivajuščij svoim novenʹkim anglijskim sekretnym zamočkom. Sundučok sej – svadebnyj podarok jevo dočeri-nevesty.

     Would you like such a scene? In the sea of ​​people, blackening all the streets, all the corners, sharp or blunt, pushing, seething and rumbling, a schlub (a mujik) rides in on his cart. At the back of the cart, under the bright midday sun, a red chest is burning with heat, painted with “pouquets” of roses and jingling with its brand new English secret lock. This chest of his is a wedding gift to his daughter, the bride.

   • 1930 January 30, Yury Olesha, Personal notes‎^[2], quoted in Книга прощания (Farewell book), Moscow, U.S.S.R:

     Что может быть хорошего в лексике порта, создавшего слова «штимп», «жлоб», «шмара»? Так и слово «Деволановская» звучало для меня полузапретным словом из босяцкого словаря, вроде слова «обжорка».

     Što možet bytʹ xoroševo v leksike porta, sozdavševo slova «štimp», «žlob», «šmara»? Tak i slovo «Devolanovskaja» zvučalo dlja menja poluzapretnym slovom iz bosjackovo slovarja, vrode slova «obžorka».

     What could be good in the lexicon of the port of Odessa, that gave us the words “shtimp”, “zhlob”, “shmara”? As such, the word “Devolanovskaya” sounded to me like a semi-forbidden word from the tramp register, like the word “obzhorka”.

2. (slang) greedy, avaricious person
3. (criminal slang) any large, burly man, often a bodybuilder
4. (criminal slang) a person who does not participate in a criminal enterprise

• жло́бить impf (žlóbitʹ), зажло́бить pf (zažlóbitʹ)
• пожло́биться pf (požlóbitʹsja)

• Anikin, A. E. (2023), “жлоб”, in Русский этимологический словарь [Russian Etymological Dictionary] (in Russian), issue 17 (жихарь I – засьюндывать), Moscow: Russian Language Institute, →ISBN, page 23
• Robert A. Rothstein, "Klezmer-loshn", in American Klezmer: Its Roots and Offshoots edited by Mark Slobin, University of California press, 2002.
• Avrom-Yitskhok Trivaks, “Klezmer-Loshn: Di Yidishe Zhargonen,” in Bay Undz Yidn, edited by M. Vanvild, Pinkes Gaubard, Warsaw, 1923, as cited in
• Yale Strom, The Book of Klezmer: The History, the Music, the Folklore. A Cappella, 2002.
• Аникин, А. Е. [Anikin, A. E.] (1993), “Жлоб”, in Из истории русских слов [On the history of Russian words] (in Russian), Москва [Moscow]: Школа-Пресс [Shkola Press], →ISBN