corner-boy
Definition
Noun: - A person who spends time idly on street corners, often associated with loitering or engaging in petty criminal or antisocial behavior. The term carries a pejorative connotation, suggesting a lack of ambition or respectability.
Usage Examples
- (Young men loitering on street corners, causing trouble.)
- (A person seen as lazy or disreputable due to their street-corner habits.)
Advanced Usage
- "to be a corner-boy": to adopt a lifestyle of idleness and minor delinquency.
- After dropping out of school, he became a corner-boy, wasting his days. (He fell into a pattern of loitering and petty crime.)
Variants and Related Words
- Corner-man (n): a synonym for corner-boy, used interchangeably.
- The corner-man was known for his loud arguments on the street. (A loiterer on a street corner.)
- Corner-lounger (n): a person who lounges on a corner, similar in meaning.
- The corner-loungers blocked the sidewalk. (People idling on a street corner.)
Synonyms
- Loiterer: a person who stands around without purpose.
- Hooligan: a young person who engages in violent or disorderly behavior, though more aggressive than a corner-boy.
- Street-corner idler: a descriptive phrase for someone who wastes time on street corners.
Related Idioms
- "Corner boy's life": a phrase describing a life of idleness and low social standing.
- He chose a corner boy's life over honest work. (He preferred loitering to employment.)
Notes
- This term is primarily used in British and Irish English, especially in historical or colloquial contexts, and is less common in modern American English. It may be considered dated or regional.