June 7, 1996

schm-

FANCY-SCHMANCY: The rhyming second word with SCHM in front is used in a mocking way for many words, right? I saw a new usage in this week's PEOPLE magazine: GRAVITY-SCHMAVITY (for a Wonderbra ad!). Where did SCHM- come from?

The element schm- (also shm-) is added to the initial part of a word to form what linguists call a "reduplicated rhyming compound" jocularly expressing disparagement or derision of the word. The "schm" sound imitates various words in Yiddish, where the sound is quite common. Many of these words have been borrowed into English, such as schmaltz 'sentimentality', schmatte 'a rag or cheap garment', schmooze 'to chat or gossip intimately', schmuck 'a jerk', and others.

This usage is well established in English, going back at least to the 1920s. Your first example, fancy-schmancy, itself goes back to 1935. Although the early examples are primarily from Jewish writers, its current use is widespread, as is demonstrated by the widely promoted Wonderbra ad you mention.