oy gevalt meaning
William Lasser writes from the political science department of Clemson University to ask where the expression â Oy, gevalt !â comes from.This is a reasonable question, because the literal meaning of the Yiddish word gevalt (or gevald, as it is sometimes spelled) does not explain the expression. Oy, gevalt !â (or just plain â Gevalt !â) has the sense of âOh, my God!â or âGood grief!â as uttered when something unfortunate has happened â when you have just discovered, say, that you have locked your car keys in the car, or when your dinner partner has spilled wine all over you.