They're wonderful. They're obscure. They're often quite pointless.
When:
Lookups spiked on July 15, 2011
Why:
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann used the Yiddish word in an interview on Fox News (video) to describe President Obama and the debate over debt ceilings.
Bachmann pronounced the word \CHOOTS-puh\ rather than the standard pronunciation you can hear by clicking the audio icon above.
The amused commentary that followed inspired some people to look up the word.
Chutzpah, which basically means "audacity," can either have an approving sense ("confidence" or "courage"), or a critical one ("arrogance") as Congressman Bachmann used it.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
