Oy gevalt

[Tanya Shivari]

Yiddish phrase. exclamation of surprise, incredulity, or simply used to emphasize a statement. often used when kvetching. alt. spelling: oy gevaldt

[Becky]

A yiddish term meaning Oh goodness! An expression of utmost anxiety or shock.

[Sarah]

Like most Yiddish expressions, this is Mediaeval Low German. In Modern German it would be spelled Ach! Gewalt! Gewalt is a word that means strength or force, But in this context means violence.
I see others referring to the Yiddish expression oy vay zmir. Again, in Modern German, Ach! Weh ist mir!, literally, oh, woe is [unto] me! In all 3 cases, the pronoun is in the Dative case, which usage has long since vanished in English, except in antique sayings such as this.

[Little_Girl]

A Yiddish expression of alarm.

[Tina]

Oy vey zmir... that doesnt say much either, but its a yiddish phrase, and you can not really translate yiddish to english. The best defintion would be oh boy or oh my gosh!

[Jessica]

Yiddish: Oh help!!!!