zhoosh
Zhoosh (verb) means to tweak, finesse or improve (something); to make more appealing or exciting. Usually with up.
Etymology
UK 1960s. Unclear origin; one explanation is that it was borrowed from Angloromani yuser (“clean”, verb) and yusher (“clear”, verb), from Angloromani yus-, yuz-, yuzh- (“clean”) and yush- (“clear”), from Romani žuž-, už- (“clean”, adjective) (also compare Hindi उज्ज्वल (ujjval, “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.
Rhymes for zhoosh
See all rhymes for zhoosh →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of zhoosh?
"zhoosh" (verb) means to tweak, finesse or improve (something); to make more appealing or exciting. Usually with up.