hoodlum

• n. 流氓；暴徒；无赖

词源不详，特别用于指美国加利福尼亚州19世纪70年代欺负中国移民的街头流氓，一种说法是来自”huddle ‘em”,即huddle them,类似于攻击中国移民的暗号，后来报纸就把这帮人称做hoodlum.

hoodlum (n.)

popularized 1871, American English, (identified throughout the 1870s as "a California word") "young street rowdy, loafer," especially one involved in violence against Chinese immigrants, "young criminal, gangster;" it appears to have been in use locally from a slightly earlier date and may have begun as a specific name of a gang:

The police have recently been investigating the proceedings of a gang of thieving boys who denominate themselves and are known to the world as the Hoodlum Gang. [San Francisco "Golden Era" newspaper, Feb. 16, 1868, p.4]

Of unknown origin, though newspapers of the day printed myriad fanciful stories concocted to account for it. A guess perhaps better than average is that it is from German dialectal (Bavarian) Huddellump "ragamuffin" [Barnhart].

What the derivation of the word "hoodlum" is we could never satisfactorily ascertain, though several derivations have been proposed; and it would appear that the word has not been very many years in use. But, however obscure the word may be, there is nothing mysterious about the thing; .... [Walter M. Fisher, "The Californians," London, 1876]

1. If I was a hoodlum I could hit you on the head.

如果我是强盗的话,我可以猛击你的头.

来自辞典例句

2. The hoodlum is still in jug.

那个恶棍仍在坐牢.

来自辞典例句

3. The hoodlum menaced the local merchants.

盗匪威胁着当地商人.

来自辞典例句

4. He is a well - known hoodlum in this neighborhood , always bullying others.

他是这边有名的混子, 经常欺负人.

来自互联网

5. My not hoodlum, but ill health.

我不流氓, 但不健康.

来自互联网