schlep

Etymology

It is borrowed from Yiddish שלעפּן (shlepn, “to haul, drag; to toil”),^{[2][3][1][4][5]} and partly also borrowed from German schleppen (“to haul, drag”), the Yiddish verb's own source.^[2][6][7] The German verb, sleppen in Middle High German,^[2][4][8] is from Middle Low German slēpen (“to haul, drag”).^[2][3][1][5] It is related to Old High German sleifen (“to drag”) and slīfan (“to slide, slip”),^[8][1][5] and so to English slip and slippery.^[8][5] The noun meaning a person of little worth is a shortening of schlepper,^[2][8][7] recorded in English from 1893;^[2] the noun meaning a tedious journey was probably formed from the verb, and the OED compares Yiddish שלעפּ (shlep, “pull, drag, tug”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To haul, carry, drag: 1911, in the Saturday Evening Post.^[2] Etymonline dates the verb to 1922, in Joyce's Ulysses: "She trudges, schlepps, trains, drags trascines her load".^[8][9]

Semantic evolution

In 1930 an article on furniture-trade slang explained schlepp as moving furniture about and placing it.^[9] From 1937 the verb was also intransitive, to toil or to go somewhere with effort,^[2][7] and since 1974 a person could schlep one's way somewhere.^[2] The noun for a fool or loser comes from schlepper, which in Jewish usage meant a pauper, beggar or idler;^[2][8] Etymonline compares the sense development of drag, a dull, annoying person.^[8] The noun for a long, tiresome journey is recorded from 1962 and soon also meant an arduous task or a hassle.^[2][9] Green's Dictionary of Slang labels the word originally American.^[9]

Timeline

• 1911 – to haul, carry or drag.^[2]
• 1937 – intransitive, to toil; to go with effort.^[2]
• 1939 – noun, a person of little worth, a fool.^[2][8][9]
• 1962 – noun, a long, tedious journey.^[2][9]
• 1964 – noun, an arduous or tedious task; bother.^[2]
• 1974 – to schlep one's way, to make one's way without enthusiasm.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (informal) To carry or drag something heavy or awkward with effort: We schlepped the suitcases up four flights of stairs.^[6][2][7]
2. (informal) To go somewhere slowly or with effort; to traipse: They schlepped across town for the concert.^[2][7]

Noun

1. (informal) A long, tiring or tedious journey: It's quite a schlep to the airport.^[6][2][9]
2. (informal) An arduous or tedious task; a hassle.^[2][7]
3. (slang, derogatory) A foolish, clumsy or worthless person; a loser.^[6][2][9]

Word family

• schlepper
• schleppy

Related words

• slip
• slippery

Usage notes

It is also spelt schlepp and shlep.^[6][7][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
4. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
7. ^ a b c d e f g Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com