palooka

Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety,^[1][2] 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).^[3]

• IPA^(key): /pəˈluːkə/

• Audio (General Australian):

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palooka (plural palookas)

1. (US, slang) A stupid, oafish or clumsy person.
   • 1996 March 7, Rich Cohen, “Jennifer Aniston: The Girl Friend”, in Rolling Stone‎^[1]:

     What’s more, Friends offers someone for everyone: a tall, dorky, insecure guy (David Schwimmer); a ditzy, guitar-strumming blonde (Lisa Kudrow); a handsome, jean-clad palooka (Matt LeBlanc); a sarcastic, 9-to-5-ing funnyman ([Matthew] Perry); a dark-haired, blue-eyed Veronica (Courteney Cox); and a spoiled suburban princess just finding her legs ([Jennifer] Aniston).

2. (US, boxing, bridge, etc) Someone incompetent or untalented.
   • 1923 March, Lincoln Star, Nebraska:

     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.

   • 1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction:

     Butch: Lookin' at somethin', friend?
     Vincent: I ain't your friend, palooka.

• Palookaville

• (boxing): tomato can

• “palooka n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present.