Jewdar

Jewdar

English

Etymology

Jew +‎ -dar

Noun

Jewdar (uncountable)

1. (slang) The supposed ability of a person to be able to detect or intuitively sense whether another person is a Jew.
   • 2001, Ophira Edut, "Bubbe Got Back: Tales of a Jewess with Caboose", in Yentl's Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism (ed. Danya Ruttenberg), Seal Press (2001), →ISBN, page 30:

     And slap on a gag order if we dare say that these traits triggered our "Jewdar" (my Semitic equivalent of gaydar) and allowed us to identify someone as a fellow Jew.

   • 2011, Lawrence Douglas, The Vices, Other Press (2011), →ISBN, unnumbered page:

     So she was Jewish. It wouldn't have occurred to me, but Melissa always faulted my Jewdar.

   • 2015, Joseph Epstein, Masters of the Games: Essays and Stories on Sport, Roman & Littlefield (2015), →ISBN, page 82:

     The name Grossman, the physician father, the mention of Florida—my Jewdar went whirring away, strongly suggesting that he could be a member of the tribe.

Related terms

• gaydar