palooka

[puh-loo-kuh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR palooka ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Slang.

an athlete, especially a boxer, lacking in ability, experience, or competitive spirit.

a stupid, clumsy person.

RELATED WORDS

boxer, second

Origin of palooka

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for palooka

palooka

noun

US slang a stupid or clumsy boxer or other person

Word Origin for palooka

C20: origin uncertain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for palooka

"mediocre prizefighter," 1926, of unknown origin, credited to U.S. sportswriter and "Variety" staffer Jack Conway (d.1928). Non-boxing sense of "average person" is from Joe Palooka, hero of Ham Fisher's comic strip.