schlep

[Sh-le-p]
Phonetic (Standard) IPA: (No beer references here)

Popcast Phonetic: “SHLEP” — say it like someone dragging a giant pizza box across the living room while muttering about “just one more slice.”

Verb

to carry or lug something with effort — usually unwelcome, heavy, or annoying.

EXPLANATION

Schlep is the word we reach for when stuff just won’t cooperate. That box of snacks you grabbed from the kitchen somehow ended up on the opposite couch? That’s a schlep. That bulky board game you insisted would “totally fit in the trunk with the popcorn gear”? Also a schlep.

It’s borrowed from Yiddish, and it feels like the sound you make as you drag something heavy and awkward while one friend says, “Just a little more to the left” and the other whispers, “Please don’t drop the pizza.” You’ve schlep-ed a stack of DVDs into the living room. You’ve schlep-ed a folding chair to the backyard. Chances are you’ve even schlep-ed your dignity after claiming “I don’t need help” and promptly needing help.

If schlepping pizza and popcorn supplies after a long day were an Olympic sport, someone would be on the podium by now.

ORIGIN

A loanword from Yiddish shlepn, meaning “to drag.” It sneaks effortlessly into English because everyone’s been there: hauling gear, luggage, groceries, dreams, or a crate of mystery-flavored popcorn across a parking lot that absolutely did not have ramps.

EXAMPLE

“I had to schlep that giant pepperoni pizza up three flights of stairs just to prove I could — and now I deserve popcorn and a nap.”

HOW TO USE

Use schlep when something feels heavier, slower, and more tedious than you expected — especially if there’s pizza and snacks involved. Perfect for describing your weekend errands, moving day, or carrying all the gaming consoles into the den.