palooka
Americannoun
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an athlete, especially a boxer, lacking in ability, experience, or competitive spirit.
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a stupid, clumsy person.
noun
Etymology
Origin of palooka
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain
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.
“Stop being the palookas of the Pac-10,” Murray wrote of the admonition he kept to himself.
From Los Angeles Times
“I am the luckiest palooka,” he said, and gave a shout-out to both mentor David Mamet and his wife, Felicity Huffman, in the audience.
From Los Angeles Times
John G. Avildsen directs in a modest, unaffected style that underlines the palooka’s solitude.
From New York Times
Beating Sharks twice in Europe is what boxers do with palookas to inflate records.
From Seattle Times
Unfazed, Bugs Bunny says, “Watch me paste this pathetic palooka with a powerful paralyzing perfect pachydermous percussion pitch.”
From Washington Post
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.
