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Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews, the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed ''bulls'', who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers.{{Fact|date=July 2009}} Also, riding on a freight train is a dangerous enterprise. The British poet [[W.H. Davies]], author of ''[[The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp]]'', lost a leg falling under the wheels whilst trying to jump a train. One could easily get trapped between cars, or freeze to death in bad weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed{{Fact|date=December 2008}}. |
Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews, the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed ''bulls'', who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers.{{Fact|date=July 2009}} Also, riding on a freight train is a dangerous enterprise. The British poet [[W.H. Davies]], author of ''[[The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp]]'', lost a leg falling under the wheels whilst trying to jump a train. One could easily get trapped between cars, or freeze to death in bad weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed{{Fact|date=December 2008}}. |
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Hobos are funny |
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==National Hobo Convention== |
==National Hobo Convention== |
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (June 2009) |
A Hobo is a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. [1] The term originated in the western—probably northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. [2] Unlike tramps, who worked only when they were forced to, and bums, who didn't work at all, hobos were workers who wandered. [2] [3]
This section needs additional citations for
verification. (August 2009) |
The origin of the term is unknown. Etymologist Anatoly Liberman, writing for Oxford University Press, says that the only details certain about its origin is that the word emerged in American English and was first noticed around 1890. [2] Liberman points out that many folk etymologies fail to answer the question: "Why did the word become widely known in California (just there) by the early nineties (just then)?" [2] Author Todd DePastino has suggested that it may come from the term hoe-boy meaning "farmhand," or a greeting such as Ho, boy!. [4] Bill Bryson suggests in Made in America that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound". [5] H. L. Mencken, in his The American Language (4th ed., 1937), wrote: [3]
It is unclear exactly when hobos were alienated[ clarification needed] on the American railroading scene. With the end of the American Civil War in the mid 19th Century, many soldiers looking to return home took to hopping freight trains. Others looking for work on the American frontier followed railroads westward aboard freight trains in the late 19th Century.
In 1906, Prof. Layal Shafee, after an exhaustive study, put the number of tramps in America at 500,000 (about 0.6% of the U.S. population). The article citing this figure, "What Tramps Cost Nation", was published by The New York Telegraph in 1911 and estimated the number had surged to 700,000. [6]
The population of hobos increased greatly[ specify] during the Great Depression era of the 1930s. With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to travel for free via freight trains and try their luck elsewhere.
Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews, the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed bulls, who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers.[ citation needed] Also, riding on a freight train is a dangerous enterprise. The British poet W.H. Davies, author of The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, lost a leg falling under the wheels whilst trying to jump a train. One could easily get trapped between cars, or freeze to death in bad weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed[ citation needed]. Hobos are funny
In 1900, the town fathers of Britt, Iowa invited Tourist Union #63 to bring their annual convention to town, and the National Hobo Convention has been held each year in early to mid August ever since. [7] Hobos stay in the "Hobo Jungle" telling stories around campfires at night. A hobo king and queen are named each year and get to ride on special floats in the Hobo Day parade. Following the parade, mulligan stew is served to hundreds of people in the city park. Live entertainment, a carnival, and a flea market are also part of the festivities. They also win money for the parade to help them get food. The hobo code had a first rule which was probably the most important was 'decide your own life'. Which meant do what you want to do.
Hobo term | Explanation |
---|---|
Accommodation car | the caboose of a train |
Angellina | young inexperienced kid |
Bad Road | a train line rendered useless by some hobo's bad action |
Banjo | (1) a small portable frying pan. (2) a short, "D" handled shovel |
Barnacle | a person who sticks to one job a year or more |
Beachcomber | a hobo who hangs around docks or seaports |
Big House | prison |
Bindle stick | collection of belongings wrapped in cloth and tied around a stick |
Bindlestiff | a hobo who steals from other hobos. |
Blowed-in-the-glass | a genuine, trustworthy individual |
"'Bo" | the common way one hobo referred to another: "I met that 'Bo on the way to Bangor last spring". |
Boil Up | specifically, to boil one's clothes to kill lice and their eggs. Generally, to get oneself as clean as possible |
Bone polisher | a mean dog |
Bone orchard | a graveyard |
Bull | a railroad officer |
Bullets | beans |
Buck | a Catholic priest good for a dollar |
Buger | today's lunch |
C, H, and D | indicates an individual is Cold, Hungry, and Dry (thirsty) |
California Blankets | newspapers, intended to be used for bedding |
Calling In | using another's campfire to warm up or cook |
Cannonball | a fast train |
Carrying the Banner | keeping in constant motion so as to avoid being picked up for loitering or to keep from freezing |
Catch the Westbound | to die |
Chuck a dummy | pretend to faint |
Cover with the moon | sleep out in the open |
Cow crate | a railroad stock car |
Crumbs | lice |
Doggin' it | traveling by bus, especially on the Greyhound bus line |
Easy mark | a hobo sign or mark that identifies a person or place where one can get food and a place to stay overnight |
Elevated | under the influence of drugs or alcohol |
Flip | to board a moving train |
Flop | a place to sleep, by extension: "Flophouse", a cheap hotel. |
Glad Rags | one's best clothes |
Graybacks | lice |
Grease the Track | to be run over by a train |
Gump | a scrap of meat |
Honey dipping | working with a shovel in the sewer |
Hot | (1) a fugitive hobo. (2) a decent meal: "I could use three hots and a flop." |
Hot Shot | train with priority freight, stops rarely, goes faster; synonym for "Cannonball" |
Jungle | an area off a railroad where hobos camp and congregate |
Jungle Buzzard | a hobo or tramp who preys on their own |
Knowledge bus | a school bus used for shelter |
Main Drag | the busiest road in a town |
Moniker / Monica | a nickname |
Mulligan | a type of community stew, created by several hobos combining whatever food they have or can collect |
Nickel note | five-dollar bill |
On The Fly | jumping a moving train |
Padding the hoof | to travel by foot |
Possum Belly | to ride on the roof of a passenger car. One must lie flat, on his/her stomach, to not be blown off |
Pullman | a rail car |
Punk | any young kid |
Reefer | a compression of " refrigerator car". |
Road kid | a young hobo who apprentices himself to an older hobo in order to learn the ways of the road |
Road stake | the small amount of money a hobo may have in case of an emergency |
Rum dum | a drunkard |
Sky pilot | a preacher or minister |
Soup bowl | a place to get soup, bread and drinks |
Snipes | cigarette butts "sniped" (eg. in ashtrays) |
Spear biscuits | looking for food in garbage cans |
Stemming | panhandling or mooching along the streets |
Tokay Blanket | drinking alcohol to stay warm |
Yegg | a traveling professional thief, or burglar |
Many hobo terms have become part of common language, such as "Big House", "glad rags", "main drag", and others.
To cope with the difficulty of hobo life, hobos developed a system of symbols, or a code. Hobos would write this code with chalk or coal to provide directions, information, and warnings to other hobos. Some signs included "turn right here", "beware of hostile railroad police", "dangerous dog", "food available here", and so on. For instance:
Another version of the Hobo Code exists as a display in the Steamtown National Historic Site at Scranton, Pennsylvania, operated by the National Park Service.
An ethical code was created by Tourist Union #63 during its 1889 National Hobo Convention in St. Louis Missouri. [8] This code was voted upon as a concrete set of laws to govern the Nation-wide Hobo Body; it reads this way:
Notable hobos
|
Notable people who have hoboed
|
Examples of characters based on hobos include Emmett Kelly's "Weary Willy" and Red Skelton's "Freddy the Freeloader".
Musicians known for hobo songs include Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Utah Phillips, Jimmie Rodgers, Seasick Steve, and Boxcar Willie.
Examples of hobo songs include:
This article includes a list of general
references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding
inline citations. (July 2009) |
Specific references:
{{
cite web}}
: |access-date=
requires |url=
(
help); Missing or empty |url=
(
help); Missing pipe in: |title=
(
help)
{{
cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1=
(
help); Unknown parameter |nopp=
ignored (|no-pp=
suggested) (
help)
General references:
This article's use of
external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (July 2009) |
m Reverted edits by
142.24.218.168 to last revision by Alansohn (
HG) |
|||
Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews, the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed ''bulls'', who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers.{{Fact|date=July 2009}} Also, riding on a freight train is a dangerous enterprise. The British poet [[W.H. Davies]], author of ''[[The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp]]'', lost a leg falling under the wheels whilst trying to jump a train. One could easily get trapped between cars, or freeze to death in bad weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed{{Fact|date=December 2008}}. |
Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews, the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed ''bulls'', who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers.{{Fact|date=July 2009}} Also, riding on a freight train is a dangerous enterprise. The British poet [[W.H. Davies]], author of ''[[The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp]]'', lost a leg falling under the wheels whilst trying to jump a train. One could easily get trapped between cars, or freeze to death in bad weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed{{Fact|date=December 2008}}. |
||
Hobos are funny |
|||
==National Hobo Convention== |
==National Hobo Convention== |
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (June 2009) |
A Hobo is a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. [1] The term originated in the western—probably northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. [2] Unlike tramps, who worked only when they were forced to, and bums, who didn't work at all, hobos were workers who wandered. [2] [3]
This section needs additional citations for
verification. (August 2009) |
The origin of the term is unknown. Etymologist Anatoly Liberman, writing for Oxford University Press, says that the only details certain about its origin is that the word emerged in American English and was first noticed around 1890. [2] Liberman points out that many folk etymologies fail to answer the question: "Why did the word become widely known in California (just there) by the early nineties (just then)?" [2] Author Todd DePastino has suggested that it may come from the term hoe-boy meaning "farmhand," or a greeting such as Ho, boy!. [4] Bill Bryson suggests in Made in America that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound". [5] H. L. Mencken, in his The American Language (4th ed., 1937), wrote: [3]
It is unclear exactly when hobos were alienated[ clarification needed] on the American railroading scene. With the end of the American Civil War in the mid 19th Century, many soldiers looking to return home took to hopping freight trains. Others looking for work on the American frontier followed railroads westward aboard freight trains in the late 19th Century.
In 1906, Prof. Layal Shafee, after an exhaustive study, put the number of tramps in America at 500,000 (about 0.6% of the U.S. population). The article citing this figure, "What Tramps Cost Nation", was published by The New York Telegraph in 1911 and estimated the number had surged to 700,000. [6]
The population of hobos increased greatly[ specify] during the Great Depression era of the 1930s. With no work and no prospects at home, many decided to travel for free via freight trains and try their luck elsewhere.
Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews, the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed bulls, who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers.[ citation needed] Also, riding on a freight train is a dangerous enterprise. The British poet W.H. Davies, author of The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, lost a leg falling under the wheels whilst trying to jump a train. One could easily get trapped between cars, or freeze to death in bad weather. When freezer cars were loaded at an ice factory, any hobo inside was likely to be killed[ citation needed]. Hobos are funny
In 1900, the town fathers of Britt, Iowa invited Tourist Union #63 to bring their annual convention to town, and the National Hobo Convention has been held each year in early to mid August ever since. [7] Hobos stay in the "Hobo Jungle" telling stories around campfires at night. A hobo king and queen are named each year and get to ride on special floats in the Hobo Day parade. Following the parade, mulligan stew is served to hundreds of people in the city park. Live entertainment, a carnival, and a flea market are also part of the festivities. They also win money for the parade to help them get food. The hobo code had a first rule which was probably the most important was 'decide your own life'. Which meant do what you want to do.
Hobo term | Explanation |
---|---|
Accommodation car | the caboose of a train |
Angellina | young inexperienced kid |
Bad Road | a train line rendered useless by some hobo's bad action |
Banjo | (1) a small portable frying pan. (2) a short, "D" handled shovel |
Barnacle | a person who sticks to one job a year or more |
Beachcomber | a hobo who hangs around docks or seaports |
Big House | prison |
Bindle stick | collection of belongings wrapped in cloth and tied around a stick |
Bindlestiff | a hobo who steals from other hobos. |
Blowed-in-the-glass | a genuine, trustworthy individual |
"'Bo" | the common way one hobo referred to another: "I met that 'Bo on the way to Bangor last spring". |
Boil Up | specifically, to boil one's clothes to kill lice and their eggs. Generally, to get oneself as clean as possible |
Bone polisher | a mean dog |
Bone orchard | a graveyard |
Bull | a railroad officer |
Bullets | beans |
Buck | a Catholic priest good for a dollar |
Buger | today's lunch |
C, H, and D | indicates an individual is Cold, Hungry, and Dry (thirsty) |
California Blankets | newspapers, intended to be used for bedding |
Calling In | using another's campfire to warm up or cook |
Cannonball | a fast train |
Carrying the Banner | keeping in constant motion so as to avoid being picked up for loitering or to keep from freezing |
Catch the Westbound | to die |
Chuck a dummy | pretend to faint |
Cover with the moon | sleep out in the open |
Cow crate | a railroad stock car |
Crumbs | lice |
Doggin' it | traveling by bus, especially on the Greyhound bus line |
Easy mark | a hobo sign or mark that identifies a person or place where one can get food and a place to stay overnight |
Elevated | under the influence of drugs or alcohol |
Flip | to board a moving train |
Flop | a place to sleep, by extension: "Flophouse", a cheap hotel. |
Glad Rags | one's best clothes |
Graybacks | lice |
Grease the Track | to be run over by a train |
Gump | a scrap of meat |
Honey dipping | working with a shovel in the sewer |
Hot | (1) a fugitive hobo. (2) a decent meal: "I could use three hots and a flop." |
Hot Shot | train with priority freight, stops rarely, goes faster; synonym for "Cannonball" |
Jungle | an area off a railroad where hobos camp and congregate |
Jungle Buzzard | a hobo or tramp who preys on their own |
Knowledge bus | a school bus used for shelter |
Main Drag | the busiest road in a town |
Moniker / Monica | a nickname |
Mulligan | a type of community stew, created by several hobos combining whatever food they have or can collect |
Nickel note | five-dollar bill |
On The Fly | jumping a moving train |
Padding the hoof | to travel by foot |
Possum Belly | to ride on the roof of a passenger car. One must lie flat, on his/her stomach, to not be blown off |
Pullman | a rail car |
Punk | any young kid |
Reefer | a compression of " refrigerator car". |
Road kid | a young hobo who apprentices himself to an older hobo in order to learn the ways of the road |
Road stake | the small amount of money a hobo may have in case of an emergency |
Rum dum | a drunkard |
Sky pilot | a preacher or minister |
Soup bowl | a place to get soup, bread and drinks |
Snipes | cigarette butts "sniped" (eg. in ashtrays) |
Spear biscuits | looking for food in garbage cans |
Stemming | panhandling or mooching along the streets |
Tokay Blanket | drinking alcohol to stay warm |
Yegg | a traveling professional thief, or burglar |
Many hobo terms have become part of common language, such as "Big House", "glad rags", "main drag", and others.
To cope with the difficulty of hobo life, hobos developed a system of symbols, or a code. Hobos would write this code with chalk or coal to provide directions, information, and warnings to other hobos. Some signs included "turn right here", "beware of hostile railroad police", "dangerous dog", "food available here", and so on. For instance:
Another version of the Hobo Code exists as a display in the Steamtown National Historic Site at Scranton, Pennsylvania, operated by the National Park Service.
An ethical code was created by Tourist Union #63 during its 1889 National Hobo Convention in St. Louis Missouri. [8] This code was voted upon as a concrete set of laws to govern the Nation-wide Hobo Body; it reads this way:
Notable hobos
|
Notable people who have hoboed
|
Examples of characters based on hobos include Emmett Kelly's "Weary Willy" and Red Skelton's "Freddy the Freeloader".
Musicians known for hobo songs include Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Utah Phillips, Jimmie Rodgers, Seasick Steve, and Boxcar Willie.
Examples of hobo songs include:
This article includes a list of general
references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding
inline citations. (July 2009) |
Specific references:
{{
cite web}}
: |access-date=
requires |url=
(
help); Missing or empty |url=
(
help); Missing pipe in: |title=
(
help)
{{
cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1=
(
help); Unknown parameter |nopp=
ignored (|no-pp=
suggested) (
help)
General references:
This article's use of
external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (July 2009) |