palooka

English edit

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Palooka

Etymology edit

Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety,^[1]^[2] who also popularized baloney and bimbo. Further popularized by Ham Fisher in his comic strip Joe Palooka about a boxer (published in newspapers since 1930, particularly popular in 1940s).^[3]

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /pəˈluːkə/
Audio (AU) (file)

Noun edit

palooka (plural palookas)

(US slang) A stupid, oafish or clumsy person.
(US, boxing, bridge, etc) Someone incompetent or untalented.
- 1923 March, Lincoln Star, Nebraska:
  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.
- 1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction:
  Butch: Lookin' at somethin', friend?
  Vincent: I ain't your friend, palooka.

Derived terms edit

Palookaville

Translations edit

stupid, oafish or clumsy person

Dutch: knuppel (nl) m, klungel (nl) m or f
Finnish: palikka (fi)

References edit

^ Esquire, September 1936
^ H. L. Mencken, 1945 supplement to The American Language, reviewed in Books: Alphabet Soup, TIME, Monday, Aug. 27, 1945
^ Cassell’s Dictionary Of Slang. Jonathon Green. Cassel & Co., 1998. →ISBN