Munuviana

The Meaning of nu

nu

1. The 12th letter of the Greek alphabet.

2. The country code for Niue.

3. "Nu?"
This is an exclamation used in the same sense as "well" "eh" and "hey." It could be used in the Hebrew/Yiddish translation of any of the following:

i. Well, do you want the egg roll or the knish?
ii. Hey! Stop throwing paper airplanes in class.
iii. My experimental tofu-liver-garlic cholent tastes good, eh?
iv. So, Becca, I hear you and Izzy went out last week. Well?
v. A rebuke (on small kids): "Nu, nu, nu, you spiled all the milk!
vi. To express doubt: "I heard that Rabin met Asad. Nu."
vii. When the news ain't new no more: (The change is in the tone of the "nu").
viii. As "come on": Nu bemet.
ix. When one can't talk (i.e. in the middle of Shmone-Esre, after Netila before Hamotzi, etc.)

4. Nu, U formerly Thakin Nu Burmese independence leader and prime minister of Myanmar (formerly Burma) from 1948 to 1958 and from 1960 to 1962.

Posted by Pixy Misa at September 3, 2003 04:31 PM | TrackBack