different between hoodlum vs tsotsi

English

Etymology

First attested in a December 1866 Daily Alta California article, which mentions "the 'Hoodlum Gang' of juvenile thieves". Several possible origins have been proposed. It may derive from a Germanic word like Swabian hudelum (“disorderly”) or Bavarian Haderlump (“ragamuffin”).

Herbert Asbury's book The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld (1933, A. A. Knopf, New York) says the word originated in San Francisco from a particular street gang's call to unemployed Irishmen to "huddle 'em" (to beat up Chinese migrants), after which San Francisco newspapers took to calling street gangs "hoodlums".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?hu?dl?m/, /?h?dl?m/
• Hyphenation: hood?lum

Noun

hoodlum (plural hoodlums)

1. A gangster; a hired thug.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:criminal
2. A rough or violent youth.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:troublemaker

Usage notes

• A short form, "hood," also exists.
• A nonstandard, jocular plural hoodla (treating the word like a Latin noun) also exists.
• The behavior of a hoodlum may be referred to as "hoodlumism."

Translations

References

Further reading

• “Frederick Bee History Project”, in (Please provide the title of the work)?^[2], accessed October 4, 2014

English

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Compare Shona tsotsi (“criminal”)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ts?tsi/

Noun

tsotsi (plural tsotsis)

1. (South Africa) A hoodlum or street thug, especially one from the townships; a township skollie.
   • 1979, André Brink, A Dry White Season, Vintage 1998, p. 39:

     A gang of tsotsis – hooligans – attacked a group of older men, and when the owner tried to throw them out they ran amok in the place, smashing everything in their way.

   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 88:

     Gangsters – known as tsotsis – carrying flick-knives or switchblades were plentiful and prominent [...].

   • 2006 Cape Times, 17 Mar 2006:

     Mandela, standing up for all the tsotsis out there, said: "Don't dismiss any youngsters who are not behaving according to your wishes."

Derived terms

• tsotsitaal

Anagrams

• Tostis

Shona

Noun

tsótsi 5 (plural matsótsi 6)

1. criminal, thug, gangster, hooligan, hoodlum

   Synonym: horomori

Tlahuica

Noun

tsotsi

1. bat

References

• Elpidia Reynoso González, Vocabulario Español-Tlahuica (1998)