KNOCKABOUT

knockabout

(adjective) suitable for rough use; “a knockabout overcoat”; “a knockabout old car”

boisterous, knockabout

(adjective) full of rough and exuberant animal spirits; “boisterous practical jokes”; “knockabout comedy”

knockabout

(noun) a sloop with a simplified rig and no bowsprit

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

knockabout (not comparable)

Boisterous

Suitable for rough use.

Noun

knockabout (plural knockabouts)

(sailing) A small sailboat lacking a bowsprit, of a type found primarily in the Massachusetts area

(entertainment) A slapstick comedy or comedian.

(circus) A tumbler.

Clothing suitable for rough use.

A worker habitually engaged in casual employment.

A person living in rough, violent conditions.

Source: Wiktionary


Knock"a*bout`, a.

1. Marked by knocking about or roughness.

2. Of noisy and violent character. [Theat. Slang]

3. Characterized by, or suitable for, knocking about, or traveling or wandering hither and thither.

4. That does odd jobs; -- said of a class of hands or laborers on a sheep station. [Collog., Australia]

Knock"a*bout`, n.

1. (Naut.) A small yacht, generally from fifteen to twenty-five feet in length, having a mainsail and a jib. All knockabouts have ballast and either a keel or centerboard. The original type was twenty-one feet in length. The next larger type is called a raceabout.

2. A knockabout performer or performance. [Theat. Slang]

3. A man hired on a sheep station to do odd jobs. [Colloq., Australia]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

25 June 2025

DETENTION

(noun) a state of being confined (usually for a short time); “his detention was politically motivated”; “the prisoner is on hold”; “he is in the custody of police”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.

coffee icon