schlubby

English

WOTD – 18 May 2019

Etymology

From schlub +‎ -y; schlub is derived from Yiddish זשלאָב (zhlob), perhaps from Polish żłób (“manger, trough; furrow, large groove in the soil”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʃlʌbi/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʃlʌbi/, /ˈʃlə-/
• (Northern England, Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈʃlʊbi/
• Rhymes: -ʌbi
• Hyphenation: schlub‧by

Adjective

schlubby (comparative schlubbier or more schlubby, superlative schlubbiest or most schlubby)

1. (chiefly US, informal) Clumsy, oafish, or socially awkward; unattractive or unkempt.
   • 1974, Genevieve Stuttaford, “A Short Review of the Magazine Reviewers”, in Publishers Weekly, volume 206, number 19, New York, N.Y.: F[rederick] Leypoldt, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 38, column 1:

     It's a wasted review copy, sending “schlubby” nonfiction to Eliot Fremont-Smith at New York magazine or a book by William Buckley to Rolling Stone […]

   • 1992 June 29 – July 6, Phoebe Eaton, “The Cool World: Table Dancing, Slalom Shots, and Other Strange Rites of the Night”, in Edward Kosner, editor, New York, volume 25, number 26, New York, N.Y.: K=III Magazine Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 50:

     Except for Barry Diller eating steak and Diane Von Furstenberg picking at his frites, the room at the top is still empty at 9:30 p.m. On the ground floor, the chic and the schlubby are slowly rendering the bar invisible.

   • 2003 September 15, Michael Wolff, “Candidate.com”, in New York‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: New York Magazine Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 January 2017:

     In fact, the Internet, for political if not commercial causes, turns out to be a way to efficiently reach people whose very engagement (even overengagement) separates them most from ordinary zhlubby citizens.

   • 2005, Greg Behrendt, Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt, “The Fifth Commandment: Don’t Wear Your Breakup out into the World”, in It’s Called a Breakup because It’s Broken: The Smart Girl’s Breakup Buddy, New York, N.Y.: Broadway Books, →ISBN, part 2 (The Breakover), page 238:

     [P]ut on your schlubbiest clothes, dab on some pimple cream, and go to the grocery store. […] Don't start your days in the hole. Besides, you never know when the new Mr. Right will come along. …

   • 2008, Lynn Phillips, “Self-loathing Dabbles in the Arts”, in Self-loathing for Beginners, Santa Monica, Calif.: Santa Monica Press, →ISBN, part IV (The Self-loathing Elite), page 170:

     Just thinking about ballet makes most people feel schlubbier and more sluglike when they shuffle out of their bedrooms in the morning or slide under the barstool at night.

   • 2008 February 10, Lynn Hirschberg, “Breaking through”, in The New York Times‎^[2], archived from the original on 12 May 2011:

     Although [Seth] Rogen had his artistic breakthrough with “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” two years ago, he achieved mass appeal this year as a funny, lovable, shlubby every-guy who won the beautiful blonde.

   • 2009 February 4, Brad Stone, “In campaign wars, Apple still has Microsoft’s number”, in The New York Times‎^[3], archived from the original on 5 January 2019:

     Apple’s ads promote what you can do with an iPhone or iPod, or show the comedian John Hodgman as a schlubby PC guy being outfoxed by the actor Justin Long as hip Mac guy.

Alternative forms

• shlubby
• zhlubby (rare)

Related terms

• schlub

Translations

clumsy, oafish, or socially awkward

unattractive or unkempt — see unattractive,‎ unkempt

Further reading

• William Safire (2003 October 5) “The Way We Live Now”, in The New York Times Magazine‎^[4], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 3 February 2018