Why There Are More Yiddish Idioms in Israeli Hebrew than in American English

Mosaic reader Aaron M. Lampert writes:

There is an Israeli expression zeh lo holekh b’regel, “it doesn’t go on foot,” that is used to describe a significant achievement. I’ve been told that it originates in the Yiddish idiom s’geyt nisht tsu fus, which means the same thing, but where does that come from?

Zeh lo holekh b’regel is indeed a literal translation of ‘sgeyt (or es geyt) nisht tsu fus, though Mr. Lampert’s definition of it needs to be broadened. The expression can certainly refer to a significant achievement, as in a statement like, “She won a full-tuition scholarship; that doesn’t go on foot.” But it can also apply to an unusual bargain in a store or a $100 bill found in the street, and it has the more general sense of “That’s not easily come by.” The dinner party was a bore but you were served a rare vintage burgundy? Zeh lo holekh b’regel, you don’t get to drink such a wine every day.