What does "knockabout" mean?
Knockabout: Of noisy and violent character. [Theat. Slang]
Additional senses
- 2.Characterized by, or suitable for, knocking about, or traveling or wandering hither and thither.
- 3.That does odd jobs; -- said of a class of hands or laborers on a sheep station. [Collog., Australia]
- 4.(Naut.) A small yacht, generally from fifteen to twenty-five feet in length, having a mainsail and a jib. 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.
- 5.A knockabout performer or performance. [Theat. Slang]
- 6.A man hired on a sheep station to do odd jobs. [Colloq., Australia]
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00