as in hulk
a big clumsy often slow-witted person
I wish he wouldn't bring over here that bunch of palookas he calls his friends
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Recent Examples of palooka
One year after the Academy bafflingly ignored his work in Sideways, Giamatti finally scored his first Oscar nomination for his purely entertaining performance as boxing manager Joe Gould in Ron Howard’s proudly old-fashioned Depression-era palooka drama.
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A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
Sylvester Stallone's underdog tale about a struggling palooka given one shot at the heavyweight championship is a stirring sports movie with a level of charm and sweetness that dissipated in the rounds (and rounds) of sequels that followed.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 25 July 2019
All this real guts and glory in Philadelphia, yet one of the big tourist attractions is to run up the Art Museum steps the way a palooka named Rocky Balboa did on the silver screen.
—Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 1 Jan. 2018
The jokes (by screenwriters Van Robichaux and Evan Susser) have all the wit of a punch-drunk palooka.
—Michael O'Sullivan, The Denver Post, 17 Feb. 2017
Without it, director Phillipe Falardeau's film would be a fairly unremarkable, fairly familiar ride, telling the tale of a big-hearted but undisciplined palooka whose biggest hurdle in life is his own bad judgment.
—Mike Scott, NOLA.com, 17 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palooka
Noun
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Kadyrov’s fighters were instrumental in the final assault on Donetsk Airport in January, having fought for months to capture the wrecked hulk of buildings that once made up the passenger terminals.Nicholas Waller, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2015
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There were literal piles of dead and mangled Russians around the smoldering hulks.David Axe, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Winners and losers: The Vikings currently stand as the NFC's top wild-card seed, but Minnesota could make a major leap in the playoff picture in the next two weeks.Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
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This selective spending behavior has created a clear divide between winners and losers in the consumer and retail space.Randy Watts, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Christmas in America has long been about receiving presents from Santa for being nice, or at worst, getting a lump of coal for being naughty.Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
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Make cream cheese mixture: Beat together cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and garlic powder in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined and no lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes.Giovanna Vazquez, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Two lively mutts guard the noodle factory on the other side of the fence.Anne F. Thurston, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2016
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It’s been a long time coming for Managing Partner Kathleen Klinger and her cohorts in ownership, one that’s seen this 3,600-square-foot former warehouse repurposed into a mecca for mutts — and cyclists.Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Here the villain isn't a person but an incredibly advanced AI with the power to destabilize the world.Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
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Irrational self-belief is one of the reasons villains deeply resonate across culture, says Kevin Wynter, a professor of media studies at Pomona College.Jason Parham, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The sequel is part prison drama, part musical, as incarcerated clown Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) goes on trial for multiple murders but finds a mercurial soulmate in an understanding super-fan (Lady Gaga).Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
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Many travelers make the 210-mile drive north from Las Vegas just for the clown experience.Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Species observed slipping through those 4-inch slots at least once included striped skunk, gray fox, raccoon, bobcat, coyote and javelina.Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024
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People and domestic animals should always avoid physical contact with wild animals — raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats, coyotes — which carry a higher risk of human exposure and a need for rabies post-exposure treatment, the agency said.Brian Bell, Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near palooka
Cite this Entry
“Palooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palooka. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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