A fork of Rural Dictionary
"I'm not a vagrant... I'm a hobo. Big difference."
"Maybe you'll end up like me, a hobo with a shotgun."
1. Originally referred to poor, homeless itinerant workers in the USA. These original hobos travelled from town to town seeking temporary employment, usually along the lines of physical labour. They are traditionally associated with freighthopping (illegally riding in the carriages of freight trains). See also drifter, vagabond and okie.
2. Nowadays commonly used throughout the English-speaking world to refer to any homeless person. See also bum, tramp and beggar.
Traditional hobos are often romanticized in popular culture, for example in the books "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac and in the music of Woody Guthrie.
The portrayal of modern homeless people, however, is usually much less favourable, with a widespread belief that homelessness is self-inflicted and that these "bums" should "just get jobs".
What a person says after saying something or asking for something which made them appear to be homeless or poor
Spare some change guys? no hobo
my feet are showing through my socks and shoes, no hobo
I'm cold an hungry, no hobo
The act of shoving a handful of change into someone's ass and then proceeding to fist their hole.
After trying the houdini last night, I thought I'd surprise my girlfriend in bed tonight by giving her the hobo.
a hobo is an itinerant worker, a career which sprang up during the depression. A hobo, unlike a bum or a tramp, is more than willing to work, but mostly for a short duration, as their main impetus is travel, the love of the journey above the actual destination. A bum is stationary, feeding off of those unfortunate enough to cross his path; a hobo merely travels from town to town, finding work when he can, but only for the sake of financing his next adventure. NEVER call a hobo a bum...they'll kick your sorry no-bo ass!
"When I first started hobo'in,
I took a freight train to be my friend
-John Lee Hooker
The act of being like a hobo, bum, or a homeless man/woman.
Toan! Pull up your pants! We don't like your hoboness!