Chutzpah
noun
- Confidence or assurance, often presented in an audacious manner
Usage
Have you ever wished you had the courage to do something daring? Maybe some chutzpah would have come in handy when you wanted to impress your friends with your parkour skills but ended up chickening out. Or perhaps you didn't strike a conversation with an achingly attractive guy or girl because you were afraid of embarrassing yourself. Most of us can say that there have been times when we were just too embarrassed or scared to take these types of risks, even if the possible downside was minor. Summoning up the nerve, or chutzpah, to do something difficult is not always easy but it is something we can learn to do with practice. As long as your ego stays grounded, there's no harm in boosting your self-confidence for those times when you need a little extra oomph!
Chutzpah is a word that refers to the boldness, or arrogance, with which someone may do something. Often, chutzpah carries a negative connotation of egotistical audacity or overconfidence in one's abilities. A student might have chutzpah if he finds it easy to rudely talk back to his teachers or intentionally disobey his parents. To outsiders, those who consistently perform physically or socially dangerous activities can be seen as unwise or conceited; many are of the mind that those with chutzpah only act out for attention. Of course, not all of us who like to take risks are attention-seekers. Sometimes, the decision to wear cheetah pants to work is based solely on personal preference!
In general, chutzpah is reserved for those actions that require complete impudence; however, the word is also used to convey a healthy self-confidence or bravery. Many people with chutzpah can be found doing things that would seem "shocking" to the average person. Take those "crazy" people who love to try extreme sports, like jumping out of airplanes: they've certainly got more than enough chutzpah to take the leap! Not everyone can put himself or herself into harm's way (without having a heart attack); some of us are completely fine with the amount of chutzpah we need for everyday life. Sometimes we muster up the chutzpah to talk to someone new or try that bold haircut! When you have just the right amount of chutzpah, you simply don't let other people's opinions or ideas dictate what you do.
Example: Jimmy's newly acquired chutzpah shocked us as we watched him demand a raise.
Example: Caroline finally found the chutzpah to perform in the talent show.
Origin
The word chutzpah comes to us from the Hebrew hutspah, meaning brashness or effrontery. Although the modern usage of chutzpah includes positive and negative connotations, in the Hebrew, and later Yiddish, it was used to describe the behavior of those who were blatantly disobedient, acted in a shameful way or committed a heinous crime. Who would've ever imagined that such a dreadful word would come to mean courage, something for which people are praised?
In Literature
From William Hirstein's Brain Fiction: Self-Deception and the Riddle of Confabulation:
Perhaps with the advent of broad intelligence and foresight comes the need for confabulation and self-deception to keep depression and its consequent lethargy at bay. There needs to be a basic denial of our finitude and insignificance in the larger scene. It takes a certain amount of chutzpah just to get out of bed in the morning.
Hirstein surmises that one of the reasons why some people find themselves confabulating, or fabricating, reality, is because the stressors of everyday life can sometimes become overwhelming. He concedes that facing a new day can be daunting, requiring courage, or chutzpah.
Mnemonic
- Stomaching coleslaw requires some chutzpah.
- Use of chutzpah can sure cause hoopla!
Tags
Risks, Extremes
Bring out the linguist in you! What is your own interpretation of chutzpah. Did you use chutzpah in a game? Provide an example sentence or a literary quote.