schlub

English

Alternative forms

• schlob, shlub, shlubb

Etymology

From Yiddish זשלאָב (zhlob), perhaps from Polish żłób (“manger, trough; furrow, large groove in the soil”). Compare Russian жлоб (žlob). While the word is superficially similar in both meaning and sound to the common English term slob, the two words are not believed to be etymologically related.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃlʌb/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

schlub (plural schlubs)

1. (chiefly US, informal) A person who is clumsy, oafish, or socially awkward, or unattractive or unkempt.
   • 2020 June 3, William Meny, “Witches” (5:14 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[1], season 2, episode 9, spoken by Nadja (Natasia Demetriou):

     “Do you want me to go in for a quick snoop and poop?” “No. You cannot go. They will sense you. No, we need a mortal. A human. A common schlub. A nobody. Someone whose personality is like a eunuch. Do you know?” “Okay, I'm gonna go. I'll go. All right? I'll go.”

   • 2022, W. David Marx, chapter 4, in Status and Culture, Viking, →ISBN:

     After the success of the film Jaws in 1975, two schlubs went around the United States pretending to be director Steven Spielberg and lead actor Richard Dreyfuss.

Derived terms

• schlubby

Translations

person who is clumsy, oafish, socially awkward, or unattractive or unkempt

• Esperanto: krudulo, maldelikatulo, bruto (eo), ŝtipkapulo
• Finnish: tomppeli (fi), tollo (fi)
• French: plouc (fr) m
• Polish: niechluj (pl) m
• Russian: жлоб (ru) m (žlob) (slang), лох (ru) m (lox) (slang)
• Yiddish: זשלאָב m (zhlob)

See also

• schlemiel
• schlimazel
• schmo