schmaltz

schmaltz - n., excessively florid or sentimental art or music.


A leftover from last week. From Yiddish שמאַלץ, liquid chicken fat, from German root smelzan, to melt -- which was used by Eastern European Jews as a cooking oil, since olive oil was unavailable and butter and lard forbidden by dietary laws. Rendered kosher poultry fat gives cooking a rich flavor; Wikipedia cites a related expression, "to fall into the schmaltz pot," meaning having good fortune.

---L.