חבל על הזמןChaval al hazman
Incredible, amazing (literally: "waste of time")
What does Chaval al hazman mean in Hebrew?
Chaval al hazman (חבל על הזמן, pronounced khah-VAL al ha-ZMAN) literally means "waste of time" but is used in Israeli slang to mean "incredible", "amazing", or "absolutely outstanding". It's one of the most counterintuitive phrases in Hebrew. The logic: something so good that doing anything else would be a waste by comparison. If an Israeli says this about your cooking, performance, or work, it's the highest compliment you can receive.
How to pronounce Chaval al hazman
חבל על הזמן
The Hebrew script reads right-to-left. The English transliteration uses the Israeli Sephardic pronunciation standard.
When do Israelis use Chaval al hazman?
The most counterintuitive phrase in Israeli Hebrew. Literally it means "waste of time" but Israelis use it to mean something is SO good it's beyond description. The logic: it's such a shame to spend time on anything else when this thing exists. If an Israeli says "chaval al hazman" about your cooking, you've won.
Fun fact
Note: chaval al hazman can also be used negatively with a bitter tone: "chaval al hazman shebishkanu" means "what a waste of time that was (and it was bad)". Context and tone are everything. Non-native speakers who learn only the positive meaning get caught off guard by the negative usage.
Chaval al hazman in a sentence: examples
המסעדה הזאת? חבל על הזמן, הכי טעים שאכלתי.
Hamis'ada hazot? Chaval al hazman, hachi ta'im she'akhalti.
This restaurant? Absolutely incredible, the tastiest I've ever eaten.
הקונצרט היה חבל על הזמן!
Hakontsert haya chaval al hazman!
The concert was absolutely insane (in a great way)!
היא חבל על הזמן: מוכשרת, חכמה, כיפית.
Hi chaval al hazman: muksheret, khakhama, keyfit.
She's incredible: talented, smart, fun.
Origin of Chaval al hazman
Uniquely Israeli Hebrew ironic idiom. The literal sense ("what a waste of time") got inverted culturally, the logic being: something so extraordinary that all other pursuits pale by comparison. The expression has no single point of origin; it evolved organically in spoken Israeli Hebrew.
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