April 24, 2006, - 9:53 am
Thanks, Tom Cruise, For Teaching Me the “New” Hebrew
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Last week, when I was away for Passover, the tabloid press was abuzz at the birth of Tom Cruise’s alleged child with alleged girlfriend Katie Holmes. They named her “Suri,” and had their publicists tell the world that the word was Hebrew for “Princess.”
Not that I care about their new kid or her name but . . . since I speak fluent Hebrew, this new word was news to me.
There’s the word “Sar” (pronounced “Sahr”), which means officer or minister and can also mean prince. And there’s the Biblical “Sarah,” which can mean princess or female minister/officer. There is “Tzuri” or “Tsuri,” which means “my rock” (usually reserved for G-d, as in “G-d is my rock,”) but I doubt that’s what the airhead glitterati couple was aiming for. But the only “Suri” I know is the command version of “Sur,” which means depart or move aside, as in “move away” or “get out of here.” (“Get out of here” Cruise–that has a nice ring to it.)
But no “Suri” as a princess. I never heard of that word. I checked my “Ben Yehuda’s Pocket English-Hebrew/Hebrew-English Dictionary” by Ehud Ben-Yehuda and David Weinstein. And still no “Suri.”
Did Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and their publicist–none of whom are Hebrew speakers to my knowledge–know a new Hebrew slang word that I did not? I don’t think so.
And apparently, the native Hebrew speakers in Israel are also raising their eyebrows at the apocryphal, alleged Hebrew name the non-married celebs gave their alleged new child.
Just another example of how crazy celebrities don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re plain clueless. (And the media blindly reports what they say as fact, without bothering to check.)
Jump on a couch with HOprah, make up new Hebrew words. What a useful life.
Tags: David Weinstein, Debbie Schlussel Last, Ehud Ben-Yehuda, female minister/officer, Israel, Katie Holmes, Minister, officer, Passover, Prince, Princess, Tom Cruise
Obviously,the kibbitzer who named Tom’s daughter,
knew that Suri comes from ‘tsuris’ which means aggravation in Yiddish.
jaywilton on April 24, 2006 at 10:28 am