Hoosier

See also: hoosier

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Uncertain. See Wikipedia's article on the subject for theories. Popularized by the 1830 John Finley poem “The Hoosier’s Nest”.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

Hoosier (plural Hoosiers)

  1. A native or resident of the U.S. state of Indiana.
    Synonym: Indianan (exonym, often proscribed)
    • 2011, Colin Woodard, chapter 16, in American nations, New York: Penguin, →ISBN:
      Indiana’s Borderlanders called themselves Hoosiers, came from the backcountry of Kentucky and western Virginia, and were ambivalent about slavery.
  2. Someone associated with Indiana University, for example as a student, alum, or sports team member, or as a fan. This is also the university's sports mascot.
  4. (slang, St. Louis, Missouri) An uneducated, tasteless, boorish white person.[2]
    Synonym: white trash
    Near-synonym: (Canada) hoser
    • 2014, Emily Giffin, The Emily Giffin Collection: Volume 2: Baby Proof, →ISBN:
      "The mall? Belinda, mall pickups are for hoosiers," I say, St. Louis slang for white trash. "With femullets." [...] "But Jake's no hoosier."
    • 2015, Pate McMichael, Klandestine: How a Klan Lawyer and a Checkbook Journalist ..., page 2:
      Taken as a whole, the article portrayed Ray as an indigent, racist “Hoosier” (St. Louis slang for redneck) with an inept, habitual tendency to commit petty crimes.
  5. (US, historical) A kind of cupboard or dresser with shelves, drawers, etc.; a kitchenet.

Derived terms

Adjective

Hoosier (not comparable)

  1. Characteristic of or pertaining to the American state of Indiana.
    • 1947, John Bartlow Martin, Indiana: An Interpretation, page xi:
      Less well known but perhaps even more interesting than Stephenson is Court Asher, the second "gentleman" from Indiana. Asher is a more convincing bigot than Stephenson, one more homegrown and more Hoosier than the puffed-up grand dragon, […]
    • 2009, Alden Studebaker, Hoosieritis: The Contagious Condition That Is Indiana, page 51:
      That's not very Hoosier, is it?
    • 2009, Alexander Lawrence, Blest Be the Tie, book 1:
      “Somehow the tradition doesn't seem very Hoosier.”

Synonyms

Derived terms

References

  1. ^ Mettler, Katie (13 January 2017) “‘Hoosier’ is now the official name for Indiana folk. But what does it even mean?”, in Washington Post, retrieved 19 December 2022
  2. ^ Murray, Thomas (1986) “The Language of St. Louis, Missouri”, in American United Studies XIII, Linguistics, volume 4
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