Passing Phrase - www.learnhebrew.org.il

Lehizdareiz

Literally: To urge forward
Idiomatically: To get a move on

This is a well-used term, especially for all of you who have or had school age children, and who were habitually late for school – which is probably all of us. This Talmudic word stems from the root ז,ר,ז "Zayn-Resh-Zayin" (Pesachim 89a). If you want real slang you would add “yaala chick chock lehizdareiz!” Since my kids are past that age I usually hear something like this from my wife:

אנו חייבים להזדרז אם אנחנו לא רוצים לאחר לארוחת הערב אצל אמא שלי
Anu chayavim lehizdareiz im anachnu lo rotzim le-acher la-aruchat erev etzel Ima sheli.”

We’d better get a move on if we don't want to be late for dinner at my mother's. There must be a psychological reason why I always misplace my shoes and glasses before hurrying to a meal at my mother in law's.

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