The term stems from the Yiddish word glitsh, meaning to slide or skid, and was popularized by 1960s astronauts to describe an unexpected equipment slip-up.

Derived from the Yiddish word klots, the term metaphorically compares a hopelessly clumsy or uncoordinated person to a heavy, immobile piece of wood.

While the original Yiddish word shmuesn simply meant to converse, English speakers adopted it specifically for networking or talking to gain a personal advantage.

A famous legal joke defines this brazen trait as a man who murders his own parents, then begs the judge for a lenient sentence because he is an orphan.