palooka
5
9.9
- noun
- /pəˈluːkə/
- Offensive
:
patán
- You tried, but you couldn't, you big palooka!
- a big palooka
Examples
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LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU BIG PALOOKA.
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Do you think I'm running this joint for that palooka of yours?
-
You should see what I did to that big palooka.
-
Keep your hands off me, ya big palooka.
-
- Cool it, you big palooka.
-
This palooka can't even pass a simple arithmetic exam!
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Goodbye, you big palooka.
-
Ya big palooka!
-
The amateur boxer was just another palooka in the ring, struggling to keep up with the professionals.
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Everyone laughed when he tried to play basketball; he was a real palooka on the court.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A foolish person who often does stupid things
1
9.9
A boxer who is clumsy and not very good
Antonyms
How Incompetent
3
3.7
- Offensive
5
9.9
1
7.8
1
4.2
1
3.4
Surface Forms
Etymology
Palooka was American slang for a second-rate boxer and later for any clumsy or inept person. Its exact origin is unclear, but the comic strip Joe Palooka, about a boxer, helped make the name famous. A helpful way to remember palooka is to think of pal + hook as a friendly boxer who cannot land a good punch, which explains why the word means a 'clumsy' or 'weak' fighter and therefore any clumsy person.