קאקער (Kaker) — coward, incompetent person

Etymology

The word kaker entered Hebrew from Yiddish, where it literally means "shitter." It is formed from the vulgar Yiddish verb kak (to defecate) and the agentive suffix -er (equivalent to the English "-er"). While the literal meaning is rarely used in Hebrew, the word carries two primary figurative senses derived from its Yiddish roots: a "coward" (one who "shits themselves" out of fear) and a "zero" or "incompetent person" (referring to someone who lacks control or social standing).

In early Israeli literature, such as the works of Moshe Shamir, the word was often used to contrast with the "hero" (gibor), emphasizing the cowardice of the individual. Over time, particularly in military and palmach slang, it shifted toward describing someone inexperienced, useless, or beneath contempt. Despite some modern dictionaries mistakenly defining it as "evil" or "wicked," historical usage in Hebrew literature consistently points toward incompetence and cowardice rather than malice.

Key Quotes

"ואפשר שהורעד רק עתה, לנוכח הזר היושב בחדר, עובדה שהפכה מקלט למלכודת ובכך גם גיבור לקאקער." — משה שמיר, תחת השמש, 1950

"ואתה, קאקער, עוד מעז לומר שאנחנו לא מכירים." — יצחק נוי, 4 ימים על הנהר, 1989

Timeline

• 1950: First known appearance in Israeli literature in Moshe Shamir's autobiographical novel Under the Sun.
• 1976: Included in Netiva Ben-Yehuda and Dahn Ben-Amotz's World Dictionary of Hebrew Slang.
• 1997: Defined in Jacob Choueka's Rav-Milim dictionary as "worthless" or a "zero."
• 2005: Rubik Rosenthal's Comprehensive Slang Dictionary incorrectly lists it as meaning "evil" or "villain."

Related Words

• אלטיזעכער — another Yiddish loanword common in early Israeli slang.
• אפס — a Hebrew term meaning "zero," often used as a synonym for kaker in the sense of a worthless person.