calaboose
Definition
- Noun:
- A jail or prison: "calaboose" is an informal term, chiefly used in American English, referring to a small, local jail or lockup.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The sheriff threw the drunkard into the calaboose for the night. (The sheriff placed the man in a small local jail as a temporary punishment.)
- There’s an old calaboose behind the courthouse that’s now a museum. (An old prison building that is no longer in use.)
Advanced Usage
"to be in the calaboose": to be imprisoned in a small jail.
- He spent three days in the calaboose for disturbing the peace. (He was confined in a local lockup for a short time.)
"to send someone to the calaboose": to order someone to be jailed.
- The judge sent the petty thief to the calaboose for a week. (The judge sentenced the thief to a brief stay in a small prison.)
Variants and Related Words
- No common variants or compounds directly derived from "calaboose." The word is rarely used in modern English except in historical or regional contexts.
Synonyms
- Jail: a place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime.
- Lockup: a temporary prison, especially one in a police station.
- House of correction: an older term for a prison or reformatory.
Phrasal Verbs
- No phrasal verbs directly associated with "calaboose." The word is a noun and does not form common phrasal verb constructions.
Related Idioms
- No idioms directly featuring "calaboose." However, it may appear in slang or regional expressions, such as (meaning the jail is overcrowded).