12 Comments
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Brett Pels's avatar

Joyce Wadler, are you are a fly on the wall in my life right now? Your past two substacks have me convinced that you are spying on me. G-d Bless You! Your humor and wit are like manna from Heaven.

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Jon's avatar

Great one. But as a male person and therefore not a yenta, why is "yenta's" (sic)a possessive?

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Joyce Wadler's avatar

Jon,

This is a problem I frequently come across on Substack: People are forever confusing it with the Before Times, when newspapers and magazines had copyeditors. The New York Times doesn't even copy editors anymore, except for a few strays here and there they trot out for special stories. A person writing on Substack sure couldn;t afford them. You are one of my few paying subscribers, mostly this gig gives me lunch money and the way restaurant prices are going in New York, it won't provide that soon.

But yes, there are male yentas. The Latin is Yentux. But that fell out of use five hundred years ago.

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Jon's avatar

I'll proofread your drafts for free. I have proofreading experience, and a negative personality that always finds mistakes. What could be better?

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Joyce Wadler's avatar

Jon,

What could be worse? A negative personality giving a writer input? I'm on this site for freedom. Just accept the occasional typo as proof of me being human. Otherwise, you'd be blinded by my other-worldly brilliance.

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Hal Davis's avatar

Thanks for the smile. I've been thrust into spouse-caretaker mode this month. Thankfully, said spouse is a fine manager of her own destiny. And we've had no yentas yet.

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Margo Howard's avatar

Now THAT was a terrific humor column -- but relatable. The illo, for example, looked to me to be a cross between Betty White and my mother (who was, btw, a Yenta M.D.)

Special mention needs to go "molly-coddled" and a memorable Molly.

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Joyce Wadler's avatar

That’s a great technique. The friends get the info, the patient gets to see that they care but not be exhausted by long visits.

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M. Louisa Locke's avatar

Loved this! I once had a friend who asked me to come sit with her the hospital the first days after her open heart surgery so that I could kindly shoo away some of her loving friends and family who wouldn't take her requests not to have visitors seriously. My job was to sit quietly in the corner, reading, then if someone arrived, come into the hallway, give the latest report, listen to them give their opinion, let them stick their head in and say hello, then usher them out again. I didn't know any of them, so if they were offended by my bossy behavior, it didn't matter. I like the idea that I was a Yenta deterrent!!

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Therry Neilsen-Steinhardt's avatar

Thank G-d I saw this first thing. I have put YOU as my emergency contact. Just remember to call my husband.

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appleton king's avatar

apart the the brilliant "yenta" fleshing out i am Hardpressed to see what side of that equation primary caregiver or yenta (id forgot or misplaced that that delightful concept as entertaining as the race the faith all that went into inventing it and no im not sucking up here as a w.a.s.p. but tempting) which side YOU are on !!%$?? 🤣

very funny

way to start a morning and no doubt therapeutic given the circumstances ive gleaned from your friend's brave funny hospital piece 🙏💫

take care

🙃💥

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Melodie Bryant's avatar

Omg nailed it, ha. Yentas rule!! Nigel and I were in STITCHES over this (yes, I'm finishing that desert).

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