קאקער (kaker) — coward; incompetent, worthless person
Etymology
The word קאקער entered Hebrew from Yiddish, where it is formed from the vulgar verb קאַק (to defecate) and the agentive suffix -ער (-er), yielding the literal meaning "one who defecates." This construction is parallel to the English agentive -er suffix. In Yiddish, the word is never used in its literal sense but carries two distinct figurative meanings: "coward" (someone who soils himself out of fear) and "incompetent person" (someone who lacks control, hence is of no consequence).
The transition of the word from Yiddish into Hebrew illustrates a common pattern in Israeli colloquial speech, where Yiddish slang terms were absorbed into the emerging vernacular during the early and mid-twentieth century. However, meanings can shift during such borrowings, and dictionary makers have disagreed about which Yiddish sense carried over.
Lexicographers have offered conflicting definitions. The 1976 slang dictionary of David Ben-Amotz and Nativa Ben-Yehuda defined it vaguely as "a disgusting, contemptible person who arouses loathing" — a description that applies to almost any insult. Reuvik Rosenthal's comprehensive slang dictionary (2005) defined it as "a bad, vile person," aligning with the online dictionary Milog. However, the 1997 Rav-Milim dictionary added the gloss "a pitiful person, a zero" — closer to the Yiddish original.
Textual evidence strongly supports the Yiddish-derived meanings of "coward" and "incompetent." In Moshe Shamir's 1950 autobiographical novel, the word is explicitly contrasted with "hero," indicating the sense of coward. Numerous later examples from Israeli fiction use the term to denote someone inexperienced or useless. No unambiguous example has been found in Hebrew literature supporting the meaning "wicked" or "villain," suggesting that definition originated in lexicographic error.
Key Quotes
"ואפשר שהורעד רק עתה, לנוכח הזר היושב בחדר, עובדה שהפכה מקלט למלכודת ובכך גם גיבור לקאקער" — Moshe Shamir, Tachat HaShemesh, 1950
"'שמואל סמל מהחברה של וינגייט,' קרא הטייס, ומיד הוסיף: 'ואתה, קאקער, עוד מעז לומר שאנחנו לא מכירים.'" — Yitzhak Noy, 4 Yamim al HaNahar, 1989
Timeline
- Pre-20th century: Word established in Yiddish with senses "coward" and "incompetent"
- 1950: First attested in Israeli Hebrew literature (Moshe Shamir)
- ca. 1950s–1960s: Absorbed into Israeli colloquial speech via Yiddish-speaking immigrants
- 1976: First dictionary entry (Ben-Amotz & Ben-Yehuda) — imprecise definition
- 1997: Rav-Milim adds the gloss "zero, a nobody"
- 2005: Rosenthal's slang dictionary defines it as "a bad, vile person" — likely erroneous
Related Words
- פחדן — coward (formal Hebrew equivalent of one Yiddish sense)
- חסר-יכולת — incompetent (formal Hebrew equivalent of the other Yiddish sense)
- אפס — zero, nobody (semantic equivalent in modern slang)