different between palooka vs palooza

English

Etymology

Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety, who also popularized baloney and bimbo. Further popularized by Ham Fisher in his comic strip Joe Palooka, about a boxer (published in newspapers since 1930, particularly popular in 1940s).

Pronunciation

Noun

palooka (plural palookas)

1. (US slang) A stupid, oafish or clumsy person.
2. (US, boxing, bridge and similar ventures) Someone incompetent or untalented.
   • 1923, Lincoln Star, Nebraska, March 1923:

     But [Jack] Dempsey against some palooka who had been press agented into greatness and into the form of a Dempsey menace — that would pack any outdoor arena.

Derived terms

• Palookaville

Translations

See also

• tomato can

References

English

Etymology

From Lollapalooza, a music festival, from lallapalooza

Noun

palooza (plural paloozas)

1. (neologism) An exaggerated event.
   • 2002, Darin Strauss, The Real McCoy, A Novel, Dutton, ?ISBN, page 97

     It was not a rumor, not merely news item, or talk, or fad. It became a palooza beyond even Johnnie Gold’s desires—a wonderment scattering far and wide out of the spacious mouth of the sky, billowing everywhere and expanding forever.

   • 2003, Mike Olszewski, Radio Daze, Stories from the Front in Cleveland's FM Air Wars, Kent State University Press, ?ISBN, page 434

     True, most of our competition did anything and everything to thwart every concert and promotion we were involved with over the summer months...especially Buzzard-Palooza (which was actually our turning point—when we began to attract our new audience).

   • 2005, John Lithgow, “Boredom Blasters”, “Rainy Day Fun Edition”, Running Press, ?ISBN, page 5

     That’s a palooza, in a nutshell: flexing your creative muscles to make your own fun. So have a go at one or all of these, and don’t say I didn’t warn you—once you get a taste of doing a palooza, you’ll go from wondering what you’re going to do all day to wondering where all the time went!

   • 2008 February 9, Peter Sagal, Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!, National Public Radio

     Now, we’re gonna start you off this week with a special edition of Carl Kasell’s Countdown. We’re calling it “Super Tuesday Palooza”.

Related terms

• -a-palooza