Oy vey
( and similar expressions--scroll down)

also spelled oi vai

pro: oy (rhymes with "boy") , vay (rhymes with "say")

Oh dear!
an expression of distress

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Oy vey iz mir

also spelled oi vai iz mir

"Woe is me"

Another, literally more forceful but not always
used as a stronger expression of dismay, is..

oy gevolt

Still another term,

oy goteniu
is also a stronger term than
oy vey

These terms express varying degrees of dismay. They are sometimes interchanged in more modern times and not as technically accurate as in the past, especially by those who only speak limited Yiddish.

 

 

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