hobo
See also: hóbo
English
Etymology
Unknown. Possibly a contraction of ho, boy, or the dialectal English term hawbuck (“lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin”). It could also be an abbreviation for homeless boy or homeward bound.
Pronunciation
- enPR: hō'bō, IPA(key): /ˈhəʊ.bəʊ/
- Rhymes: -əʊbəʊ
Noun
- A wandering homeless person, especially (historical) one illegally travelling by rail or (derogatory) a penniless, unemployed bum.
- Any migratory laborer, whether homeless or not.
- A kind of large handbag.
- 1989, Susan Ludwig, Janice Steinberg, Petite Style (page 46)
- Avoid bulky styles such as duffle sacks, buckets, doctors' satchels, and hobos.
- 1989, Susan Ludwig, Janice Steinberg, Petite Style (page 46)
Usage notes
- Often used attributively, as if an adjective. For example, "hobo stew", "he was leading a hobo life."
- Although informal usage considers hobo synonymous with bum, self-proclaimed hobos sometimes distinguish themselves as migrant workers rather than unemployed bums.[1]
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:vagabond
Derived terms
Derived terms
Translations
homeless person
tramp, vagabond; bum
migratory worker
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Verb
hobo (third-person singular simple present hobos, present participle hoboing, simple past and past participle hoboed)
- (intransitive, perhaps pejorative) To be a hobo, tramp, bum etc.
- Joe idly hoboed through half the country till he realized hoboing never gets you anywhere in life.
References
- Tales of the Iron Road: My Life As King of the Hobos.
Afrikaans
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɦʊəˈbʊə/
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɦoːˈboː/
Audio (file)
Derived terms
- hoboïst
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.