hobo synonymous with panhandler or beggar

[Neal Whitman]

The comment that no self-respecting hobo would take money for nothing reminded me of a line from Phil Harris's 1950 novelty hit "The Thing":

I wandered all around the town until I chanced to meet /
A hobo who was lookin' for a handout on the street.
He said he'd take most any old thing, he was a desperate man. /
But when I showed him the [thing] he turned around and ran!

Neal

On Mar 31, 2012, at 10:16 PM, "Garson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: hobo synonymous with panhandler or beggar
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Below is an example of "hobo" used to mean "panhandler". The excerpt
> below is from brooklynian.com but the key example text was apparently
> taken from overheardinnewyork.com. The website date at brooklynian.com
> claims "5 years ago". A commentator responds and complains about the
> shift in semantics: this new trend of calling panhandlers "hobos".
>
> http://brooklynian.com/forum/park-slope/park-slope-panhandler-makes-httpoverheardinnewyorkcom
>
> [Begin excerpt]
>
> [Begin information about person making comment below]
> meanderthal
> getting it
> Joined: Aug '06
> Posts: 69
> [End information about person making comment below]
>
> Just noted this posting on http://overheardinnewyork.com/ under the
> title "No, Actually Just He and the Plant Are Working Together". It
> goes
>
> Tourist, pointing at hobo: You stay right there. I'll be back; you have my word.
>
> Friend #1: What are you doing?
>
> Tourist: I'm going to give this guy some money, but I don't have any on me.
>
> Hobo: Bless you.
>
> Friends all open their wallets.
>
> Hobo: Bless you, guys. See, we're all working together!
>
> --7th Ave between 8th & 9th, Park Slope
> Drano
>
> [Begin information about person making comment below]
> Meow Wars Veteran
> Joined: Jan '06
> Posts: 1,651
> [End information about person making comment below]
>
> I'm wondering what's behind this new trend of calling panhandlers "hobos".
>
> Talk to some old people (sorry, senior senior citizens) - there's a difference.
>
> No self-respecting hobo would take money for nothing.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is the same example of overheard speech on another website called
> dailyslope.com. The date is September 6, 2006
>
> http://www.dailyslope.com/2006/09/06/probably-not-this-guy-who-parked-himself-on-sterling-place-for-3-days-recently/
>
>
> Here is another example. The date is from the website and may, of
> course,  be inaccurate.
> http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt41611.html
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:25 pm
> Post subject: Do panhandlers / hobos make you nervous?
> One time this guy came up to me and started talking to me. �
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 31, 2012 at 9:13 PM, Dan Nussbaum <yekkey at aol.com> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Dan Nussbaum <yekkey at AOL.COM>
>> Subject:      hobo synonymous with panhandler or beggar
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> My wife informs me that her Middle School students consider hobo to be syno=
>> nymous with panhandler or beggar.
>>
>>
>> I would like to know what this esteemed list serve thinks.
>>
>>
>> Dan Nussbaum=20
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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