- a variation of oy gevalt.
oy
1 Americaninterjection
noun
-
a grandchild.
-
Obsolete. a nephew or niece.
Etymology
Origin of oy1
Borrowed into English from Yiddish around 1890–95
Origin of oy2
1425–75; late Middle English (north and Scots ) o ( o ), oy ( e ) < Scots Gaelic ogha; see O'
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ah, noon Singapore time, 3 p.m. for me … oy!
From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2021
A bagel with big air holes is like a baked potato that is all skin – oy gevalt!
From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2019
With every bowl — a running, full-circle windup pitch — and every “thwack” of the ball — a different sound from baseball, given a batsman’s flat-fronted blade — shouts of “oy, oy, oy!” rang out.
From Washington Post • Oct. 24, 2018
“I could never say anything right except oy vey,” Strout said.
From The New Yorker • Apr. 24, 2017
Ye, ye, ye, he said, and oy oy oy, and then fell asleep.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
