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hoodlum

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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First attested in a December 1866[1] Daily Alta California article, which mentions "the 'Hoodlum Gang' of juvenile thieves".[2] Several possible origins have been proposed. It may derive from a Germanic word like Swabian hudelum (disorderly)[1][3] or Bavarian Haderlump (ragamuffin).[4]

Herbert Asbury's book The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld (1933, A. A. Knopf, New York) says the word originated in San Francisco from a particular street gang's call to unemployed Irishmen to "huddle 'em" (to beat up Chinese migrants), after which San Francisco newspapers took to calling street gangs "hoodlums".

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈhuːdləm/, /ˈhʊdləm/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: hood‧lum

Noun

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hoodlum (plural hoodlums)

  1. A gangster; a hired thug.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:criminal
    • 2018 September 19, Lisa Ling, “How the US helped create Trump’s ‘violent animals’”, in CNN[1]:
      There is no question the MS-13 gang must be stopped. It is a vile organization of hoodlums with no regard for life.
    • 2021 February 9, Christina Newland, “Is Tom Hanks part of a dying breed of genuine movie stars?”, in BBC[2]:
      In Sam Mendes's excellent gangster movie Road to Perdition (2002), he tested the boundaries further playing a hitman – but while we know he's a killer, we never really see him go full-pelt hoodlum.
    • 2023 August 20, Richard Galant, “Opinion: A powerful weapon for prosecutors is now in the hands of Fani Willis”, in CNN[3]:
      Caesar Enrico “Rico” Bandello is a hoodlum who rises swiftly in Chicago’s mob world, in the 1931 film “Little Caesar.” Played by Edward G. Robinson, Rico is tracked down by police and shot.
    • 2024 August 1, Nimi Princewill and Stephanie Busari, “Violence erupts as Nigerians protest hunger across the nation”, in CNN[4]:
      The state’s police spokesman Wasiu Abiodun told CNN in a statement that operatives arrested 11 armed “hoodlums” who set fire to a government building after looting it.
  2. A rough or violent youth.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:troublemaker

Usage notes

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  • A short form, "hood," also exists.
  • A nonstandard, jocular plural hoodla (treating the word like a Latin noun) also exists.
  • The behavior of a hoodlum may be referred to as "hoodlumism."

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 hoodlum”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  2. ^ Daily Alta California, December 15, 1866: "a dealerf in second-hand clothing [...] was arrested, yesterday [...] on the charges of receiving stolen goods from the "Hoodlum Gang" of juvenile thieves"
  3. ^ hoodlum”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  4. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “hoodlum”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Further reading

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