schmaltz

[ shmahlts, shmawlts ]

noun

1. Informal. exaggerated sentimentalism, as in music or soap operas.
2. liquid animal fat, especially of a chicken.

schmaltz

/ ʃmɔːlts; ʃmælts /

noun

1. excessive sentimentality, esp in music
2. animal fat used in cooking

Word History and Origins

Origin of schmaltz¹

First recorded in 1930–35; from Yiddish shmalts or German Schmalz; cognate with smelt ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of schmaltz¹

C20: from German ( Schmalz ) and Yiddish: melted fat, from Old High German smalz

Example Sentences

Jimmy Cagney’s old schmaltz vehicle "Yankee Doodle Dandy" looks restrained by comparison.

From Salon

In what I hope is meant to suggest the falseness of these stories, Brown pounds the pastiche in the songs so hard it borders on minstrelsy: hip-hop for the fixer; fiddle schmaltz for the pilgrims.

From New York Times

He called the second one “his schmaltz camera,” Meyerowitz recalled, in a recent phone interview.

From New York Times

Because they fear schmaltz, they are able to employ emotional effects with great care.”

From Los Angeles Times

They have the schmaltz of a prime-time soap or a cheesy movie.

From New York Times