I got an earful when I asked readers to comment on my Nov. 6 column and Sept. 25 blog entry, “Broker Chutzpah,” in which I hailed one state agent group executive for hammering big brokers who insist that all producers give up contingency fees because some bad apples in their ranks rigged bids to trigger bonus commissions.

One reader wondered whether everyone in my audience even understood what “chutzpah” means.

For the record, the Yiddish word–which has made its way into American slang–means “unmitigated effrontery, impudence, gall, audacity, nerve,” according to Dictionary.com. That captures the feelings of the person who originally hurled the word at mega-brokers–Michael D'Arelli, vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs for the Western Insurance Agents Association.

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