Shpilkes
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A state of impatience, agitation, or anxiety. plural, plural-only
"This job interview tomorrow gives me shpilkes."
Example
More examples"This job interview tomorrow gives me shpilkes."
Etymology
Borrowed from Yiddish שפּילקעס (shpilkes, “needles”), ultimately from a Slavic term such as Polish szpilka, which comes from Italian spilla, from Late Latin spīnula (“little thorn”).
Related phrases
More for "shpilkes"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.