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Jul 18, 2006

This week's theme
Words from Yiddish

This week's words
yenta
schmooze
maven
schlub
shtick

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Read it today

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schmooze, schmoose, or schmoos

verb intr.: To chat, especially in order to gain an advantage or to make a social or business connection with an influential person.
noun: A gossipy or ingratiating chat.

From Yiddish shmues (chat, gossip), from Hebrew shemuah (reports, rumor).

"Of course, there are exclusives in all newspapers that are genuinely a result of hard work by reporters, either through digging or just schmoozing with politicians."
Anne Davies; Truth Loses When Only Half the Story Will Do; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Jul 3, 2006.

See more usage examples of schmooze in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

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