My grandmother occasionally inserts Yiddish words in her speech. Most
of their definitions and etymologies are available on the web.
However, she sometimes uses this word I can't find anywhere. It sounds
like "patchuch" or something like that. Putch, but with another
syllable. She uses it to mean a far away place in the middle of
nowhere. Example: "If you make that turn, you're liable to end up in
patcuch" can anyone find the word and definition anywhere on the web?"

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 04 Apr 2006 13:45 PDT

Dear mitochondriawtf-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. Like
modern-day ?Spanglish?, Yiddish is an amorphous language that
incorporated elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages, and
Romance languages, so some Yiddish words can be traced back to these
origins.

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF YIDDISH
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/yiddish.html

The elusive word probably isn't really obscure Yiddish; I believe it
is straight-up Hebrew. I suspect the word you are looking for is
PATUACH (pronounced variously [pa:tu:ach, petu:cha:, petu:chi:m,
petu:cho:t] depending on regional or local dialect). The word means
"open". It is commonly used (even today) in conjunction with other
words to describe various states of access. The Hebrew phrase ?shetach
nof patuach? means ?an open space?. Today, for example, Palestinians
are not allowed to build on land that has been zoned by the government
as "shetach nof patuach" and this is presently understood to mean the
English equivalent of ?no man?s land?.

Here is a potential example using your own quoted phrase: 

"If you make that turn, you're liable to end up in patuach"
(?as in "out in the open", "who knows where", or ?the middle of nowhere?.)

LEARN HEBREW
http://www.bambili.com/right_asp/words_engen1.asp

HEBREW-ENGLISH DICTIONARY
http://www.777life.com/dictionary/text/heb_eng.txt

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF YIDDISH
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/yiddish.html

LEARN HEBREW
http://www.bambili.com/right_asp/words_engen1.asp

HEBREW-ENGLISH DICTIONARY
http://www.777life.com/dictionary/text/heb_eng.txt



SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

PATUACH

OPEN

HEBREW

YIDDISH

I inadertendly posted in the wrong place. I am reposting here in order
to officially answer your question.



Dear mitochondriawtf-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. Like
modern-day ?Spanglish?, Yiddish is an amorphous language that
incorporated elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages, and
Romance languages, so some Yiddish words can be traced back to these
origins.

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF YIDDISH
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/yiddish.html

The elusive word probably isn't really obscure Yiddish; I believe it
is straight-up Hebrew. I suspect the word you are looking for is
PATUACH (pronounced variously [pa:tu:ach, petu:cha:, petu:chi:m,
petu:cho:t] depending on regional or local dialect). The word means
"open". It is commonly used (even today) in conjunction with other
words to describe various states of access. The Hebrew phrase ?shetach
nof patuach? means ?an open space?. Today, for example, Palestinians
are not allowed to build on land that has been zoned by the government
as "shetach nof patuach" and this is presently understood to mean the
English equivalent of ?no man?s land?.

Here is a potential example using your own quoted phrase: 

"If you make that turn, you're liable to end up in patuach"
(?as in "out in the open", "who knows where", or ?the middle of nowhere?.)

LEARN HEBREW
http://www.bambili.com/right_asp/words_engen1.asp

HEBREW-ENGLISH DICTIONARY
http://www.777life.com/dictionary/text/heb_eng.txt

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF YIDDISH
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/yiddish.html

LEARN HEBREW
http://www.bambili.com/right_asp/words_engen1.asp

HEBREW-ENGLISH DICTIONARY
http://www.777life.com/dictionary/text/heb_eng.txt



SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

PATUACH

OPEN

HEBREW

YIDDISH

This might be helpful.

"When the English want to evoke the back of beyond they say Timbuktu,
and the Americans Hicksville. The Yiddish counterpart to those places
is Yehupets (the Austrian equivalent is Kigrizpotschen ? possibly a
strange compound of Kirghiz and slippers)."
http://www.ajr.org.uk/pastjournal27.htm

Shalom.