palooka
Americannoun
-
an athlete, especially a boxer, lacking in ability, experience, or competitive spirit.
-
a stupid, clumsy person.
noun
Etymology
Origin of palooka
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain
Explanation
A palooka is a boxer — not a champion but a second-rate fighter. If you were a sports writer in the 1930s, you probably used the word palooka a lot. Plus you probably wore one of those cool fedoras. This funny-looking word has a meaning that's not very funny if it applies to you — a palooka is a boxer who's not very good. Palookas are run-of-the-mill, second- or third-rate boxers whose careers don't go very far. Since success is rare, most fighters are palookas. In the 1920s, Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a prize fighter who didn’t like to fight.
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.
But the palooka turns on the percussion pitch, sending it whistling out of the stadium for what looks like a game-winning homer.
From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2021
In what feels like an elementary screenwriting mistake, that’s a choice that makes comic sense in Newt’s first encounter with talkative palooka Fogler but that pays off less and less as the movie goes on.
From Slate • Nov. 17, 2016
After Washington beat up on the latest Pac-10 Conference palooka du jour yesterday, 29-7 over Oregon, there is little evidence to dispute the belief the Huskies will be 11-0 on New Year’s Day.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2016
But the actor who played Rocky was no palooka, and he refused to step into that ring.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2016
Razor, is a sincere palooka who has made big mistakes in life but remains pure of heart.
From New York Times • Dec. 24, 2013
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.
