palooka
/pəˈluːkə/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.64 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "What’s more, Friends offers someone for everyone: a tall, dorky, insecure guy (David Schwimmer); a ditzy, guitar-strumming blonde (Lisa Kudrow); a handsome, jean-clad palooka (Matt LeBlanc); a sarcastic, 9-to-5-ing funnyman ([Matthew] Perry); a dark-haired, blue-eyed Veronica (Courteney Cox); and a spoiled suburban princess just finding her legs ([Jennifer] Aniston)."
- "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."
- "Butch: Lookin' at somethin', friend? Vincent: I ain't your friend, palooka."
Etymology
Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety, 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).
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Sports.