2006-07-05 06:39:34 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Beauty & Style ➔ Skin & Body
Hobo is a term that refers to certain wandering homeless people, particularly those who make a habit of freighthopping. The iconic image of a hobo is that of a downtrodden, shabbily-dressed and perhaps drunken male, one that was solidified in American culture during the Great Depression. Hobos are often depicted carrying a bindle.
2006-07-05 06:42:54 · answer #1 · answered by SurfinOnDryLand 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hobo is a term that refers to certain wandering homeless people, particularly those who make a habit of freighthopping.
The origin of the term is not confirmed, though there are popular theories.
Author Todd DePastino has suggested that it may come from the term hoe-boy meaning "farm hand", or a greeting such as Ho, boy! [1]. Bill Bryson suggests that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a contraction of "homeward bound". Others have said that the term comes from the Manhattan intersection of HOuston and BOwery, where itinerant people once used to congregate; or from the Japanese word hÅbÅ meaning "in all directions".
Still another theory of the term's origins is that it derives from the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, which was a terminus for many railroad lines in the 19th century. The word "hobo" can also be a shortening of the phrase which best describes the early hobo's method of transportation, which was "hopping boxcars."
2006-07-05 06:43:37 · answer #2 · answered by Spock 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm. Hadn't heard that term in a while. It is a person who embraces a certain lifestyle. The hobo is a kind of American Gypsy (for lack of a better term), who uses the rail system to 'bum' a ride from place to place. He is a free-spirit, wandering from place to place without a permanent home. The last time I heard anything about hobos was when I read a book by Robert McCutcheon (a railroad policeman) entitled The Last Train Rider. It was published in '03 or '04 and I understand he was coming out with a part II.
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2006-07-05 06:55:38 · answer #3 · answered by H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a bum tha travels place to place by train regailing weary travellers with his hobo stories
often identified by the stick they use to carry there hankerchief wrapped stuff in. These are jolly characters with such names as Boxcar Willy and Shoeless Joe, but they also come in a mean and aggresive variety too, you might want to avoid these.
2006-07-05 06:45:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
me i am Joe the hobo
2006-07-05 06:54:41 · answer #5 · answered by marissa c 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NOUN:
pl. ho·boes or ho·bos
One who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood.
A migrant worker.
intr.v.
ho·boed , ho·bo·ing , ho·boes
To live or wander like a vagrant.
2006-07-05 06:42:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
One who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood.
2006-07-05 06:43:28 · answer #7 · answered by gibberish 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A weird person from the country.
2006-07-05 06:42:46 · answer #8 · answered by Dynodude47 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Homeless person.
2006-07-05 06:41:35 · answer #9 · answered by Sorcha 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a poor bum (homeless guy) with no food and mooches of people! and stinks. and is sometimes scary. and buys boos as soon as (s)he gets money
2006-07-05 06:48:03 · answer #10 · answered by Brittany H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋