Oy vey is a Yiddish phrase expressing dismay or exasperation. Also spelled oy vay, oy veh, or oi vey, and often abbreviated to oy, the expression may be translated as, "oh, woe!" or "woe is me!" Its Hebrew equivalent is oy vavoy.

Does Oy vey mean OMG?

Oy vey comes from the Yiddish oy vey, which is translated and related to the English oh woe. It's often uttered as a defeated-sounding sigh. Evidence for the phrase as borrowed into English dates back to the early 1900s.

What does the Yiddish word oy mean?

borrowed from Yiddish, from oy, interjection expressing surprise or dismay + vey, interjection expressing distress or grief, going back to Middle High German wē, going back to Old High German wah, wē, going back to Germanic *wai (whence Old English wā) — more at woe entry 1.