hoosegow

hoosegow — noun

1. a place where people who have broken the law are locked up for a short time, esp

1.名詞C1
釋義

a place where people who have broken the law are locked up for a short time, especially in the American West; a jail or prison.

例句

After the bar fight, Jun-Ho spent the night in the local hoosegow.

collocation: in the hoosegow

The sheriff locked the cattle rustlers in the hoosegow until the judge arrived.

informal slang term for jail

同義詞
  • jail

    neutral, standard term; hoosegow is much less common and highly informal

  • lockup

    also informal, but broader in register than hoosegow; lockup is still used in modern police contexts

  • brig

    naval or military jail; narrower domain

用法筆記

Strongly informal and dated. Most common in storytelling about the American Old West or in humorous contexts. Not used in formal writing or news reporting.

常見錯誤

❌The hoosegow released him this morning.
✅He was released from the hoosegow this morning.
💡'hoosegow' refers to the building, not the people running it.