English

Noun

palooka ‎(plural palookas)

1. (US slang) A stupid, oafish or clumsy person.
2. (US, boxing, bridge and similar ventures) Someone incompetent or untalented in the specified area.
   • 1923, Lincoln Star, Nebraska, March 1923:

     But [Jack] Dempsey against some palooka who had been press agented into greatness and into the form of a Dempsey menace — that would pack any outdoor arena.

Derived terms

• Palookaville

Translations

See also

• tomato can

References

1. ↑ “Palooka”, World Wide Words, Michael Quinion
2. ↑ Esquire, September 1936
3. ↑ H. L. Mencken, 1945 supplement to The American Language, reviewed in Books: Alphabet Soup, TIME, Monday, Aug. 27, 1945
4. ↑ Cassell’s Dictionary Of Slang. Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. ISBN 0-304-35167-9