Knockabout

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  knockabout \knock"a*bout`\, a.
     1. Marked by knocking about or roughness.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     2. Of noisy and violent character; marked by farce,
        pratfalls, and horseplay; as, knockabout comedy. [Theat.


        Slang]
  
     Syn: boisterous, slapstick.
          [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     3. Characterized by, or suitable for, knocking about, or
        traveling or wandering hither and thither; suitable for
        use in rough activity; suited for everyday use; -- used
        especially of clothing.
  
     Syn: casual, everyday.
          [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     4. That does odd jobs; -- said of a class of hands or
        laborers on a sheep station. [Collog., Australia]
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Knockabout \Knock"a*bout`\, n.
     1. (Naut.) A small yacht, generally from fifteen to
        twenty-five feet in length, having a mainsail and a jib; a
        sloop with a simplified rig and no bowsprit. All
        knockabouts have ballast and either a keel or centerboard.
        The original type was twenty-one feet in length. The next
        larger type is called a {raceabout}.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl. + WordNet 1.5]
  
     2. A knockabout performer or performance. [Theat. Slang]
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     3. A man hired on a sheep station to do odd jobs. [Colloq.,
        Australia]
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  knockabout
       adj 1: full of rough and exuberant animal spirits; "boisterous
              practical jokes"; "knockabout comedy" [syn: {boisterous}]
       2: suitable for rough use; "a knockabout overcoat"; "a
          knockabout old car"
       n : a sloop with a simplified rig and no bowsprit