zhoosh

Meanings

Verb

• To tweak, finesse or improve (something); to make more appealing or exciting. Usually with up.
• To blend ingredients together using an electric food mixer.

Adjective

• stylish, hot, cool

Noun

• style, glamor; especially in regard to clothing.
• The action of mixing ingredients using an electric food mixer; a pulse of mixing.

Origin

• Unclear; one explanation is that it was borrowed from Angloromani yuser ("clean") and yusher, from Angloromani yuse ("clean") and yushe, from Romani užo ("clean") (also compare Hindi उज्ज्वल ("bright")), but this has been seen as problematic. Another theory is that the term is instead an "expressive formation" similar to whoosh and swish. The South African sense reportedly comes from a regional pronunciation of "Jewish", alluding to the high reputation of Jewish tailors at the time, but this has also been considered unlikely. All senses originated around the same time, with the first attributed use of the noun in 1968 and the verb in 1970.
• , from the sound of the blender.