Hobohemia

The Witches Almanac 2011

A few hobo colloquialisms
Marina Bryony

Banjo – frying pan

Cover with the Moon – to sleep out in the open

Beachcomber – hobo who stays along sea ports and beaches

Glad Rags – nice clothing

Calling In – getting warm and cooking at another’s campfire

Bindle – collection of belongings wrapped in a cloth

and tied to a stick to carry over the shoulder.

Bindlestiff – hobo, tramp or bum who steals from other hobos.

Bo – common way one hobo refers to another,

a brother or sister vagabond

Accommodation Car – caboose

Grease the Track – to be run over by a train

Boil Up – get clean, shedding lice, dirt, etc.

by boiling one’s clothes and washing in fresh hot water.

Bone Polisher – dog

California Blankets – newspapers to be used for bedding

Barnacle – hobo who remains at one job for over a year

Chuck a Dummy – pretending to faint in order to get hand-outs

Doggin’ It – travel by Greyhound bus

Flop – a cheap hotel, a flop house

Gray Backs – lice

Bone yard – graveyard