calaboose
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of calaboose
An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; from Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo “dungeon,” of obscure origin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“By that last part, he is referring to another slang term, ‘cally,’ which is a police station, short for “calaboose,” derived from the Spanish “calabozo,” Barrett clarified.
From Los Angeles Times
Yet for many Americans, especially younger ones, going home for Thanksgiving is a weekend in the calaboose.
But my head continued to throb with the measured insistence of a bass drum, and how could a toothache pass the calaboose, hear the songs of the prisoners, their blues and laughter, and not be changed?
From Literature
Next time the launch arrived in Manila, sure enough the old patron appeared to fetch his belongings, and was taken to the calaboose of the captain of the port.
From Project Gutenberg
Oh, well," said Deering, "since I want to get on board the calaboose, perhaps her stopping in the dark is not a drawback.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
