▪ I. hooker1
(ˈhʊkə(r))
[f. hook v. + -er1.]
One who or that which hooks.
1. A thief who snatched away articles with a hook; a pilferer, thief; (mod. slang) a watch-stealer.
| 1567 Harman Caveat (1869) 35 These hokers, or Angglers, be peryllous and most wicked knaues. 1592 Greene Art Conny-catch. ii. 24 The Courber, which the common people call the Hooker..with a Curb..or hook, doth pul out of a window any loose linnen cloth, apparell, or els any other houshold stuffe. 1672 Worthington in Mede's Wks. Life 42 The Hooker..once began to draw away his Bed-cloaths whiles he lay awake. 1834 H. Ainsworth Rookwood iii. v, No strange Abram, Ruffler crack—Hooker of another pack. 1888 Tit Bits 17 Nov. 82/2 (Farmer) The hooker, having..got a hold of the desired prize, detaches it from the chain by breaking the ring and passes it to number two. |
2. One who fastens his clothes with hooks: see quot.
| 1880 Libr. Univ. Knowl. IX. 700 The Amish Mennonites..are sometimes called Hookers, because they substitute hooks for buttons on their clothes. |
3. hooker-on (Coal-mining): A ‘hanger on’ or hitcher. Also simply hooker; and in many other technical usages.
| 1881 Instr. Census Clerks (1885) 134/2 Hooker (to special trade when stated or determinable). Hooker (Undefined)..Factory Labourer. 1883 Times 9 Nov., These men found the fire-beater acting as hooker-on for the uninjured men, who were brought up with great rapidity. 1900 Westm. Gaz. 16 May 8/1 No one received injuries, the hookers having received warning by the clashing of the cage. 1919 Camp Worker (Vancouver) 26 Apr. 5/2 The best hooker that ever gave signals for the high-rigger, while his short-handed crew changed the haul-back without the assistance of a grass-line. 1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §043 Onsetter;..hooker, hooker-at-shaft..; stands at bottom of shaft in coal or shale mine to push full tubs on to cage and remove empty ones. Ibid. §943 Hooker, cloth hooker, piece hooker, hooker-and-lapper. 1966 H. Sheppard Dict. Railway Slang (ed. 2) 6 Hooker, shunter. 1967 Amer. Speech XLII. 291 Hookers come and attach hooks on slings from the overhead cranes, or travelers, that move over the yard transferring loads between saws and stacks. |
4. A prostitute. slang (chiefly U.S.).
| 1845 in N.E. Eliason Tarheel Talk (1956) 277 If he comes by way of Norfolk he will find any number of pretty Hookers in the Brick row not far from French's hotel. 1914 Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang 45 Hooker, a prostitute. 1929 T. Wolfe Look Homeward, Angel (1930) xxx. 435, I hope you have sense enough now to leave those old hookers alone? 1932 J. Dos Passos 1919 43 Ain't you got the sense to tell a good girl from a hooker? 1952 J. Steinbeck East of Eden xlv. 504 Joe could find any hooker in any town in a few hours. 1964 Esquire Nov. 85/2 They were attractive but not very imaginative, they looked like hookers on horses. 1971 [see hook v. 7 c]. |
5. A cow or ox that ‘hooks’ (see hook v. 11). U.S.
| 1866 Harper's Mag. May 816/1 He..asked ‘Why that pipe [sc. a hookah] was like a cow?’ having in mind the obvious answer that it was a hooker. 1885 ‘C. E. Craddock’ Prophet Gt. Smoky Mts. ii. 48 The red cow jes' hooked down the bars, bein' a turrible hooker. 1902 G. H. Lorimer Lett. Merchant vii. 84 You want to..distinguish between a cow that's a kicker, but whose intentions are good..and a hooker, who is vicious on general principles. |
6. a. Rugby Football. A player in the centre of the front row of the scrummage on either side who endeavours to obtain the ball by hooking it. Cf. hook v. 8 e.
| 1905 Daily Chron. 13 Sept. 7/4 The two front men—called ‘hookers’—can get the ball just as well as three. 1906 [see back a. 1]. 1927 Wakefield & Marshall Rugger 166 Some hookers prefer to have the weight on the loose-head side. 1963 Times 14 Jan. 3/1 Thorne had been on the fringe of this new honour as a hooker for several years, and Davis and Owen look a sound second row. 1971 Times 15 Feb. 9/2 For a hooker Pullin often showed up well in the loose. |
b. Cricket. One who uses the hook stroke.
| 1900 W. J. Ford Cricketer on Cricket 102 Like Hill he is a splendid hooker. 1911 P. F. Warner Bk. Cricket 208 He has a lovely shot over extra-cover's head,..and on a slow wicket is a fine puller and hooker. 1972 Cricket World 1. 8/2 Keith [Stackpole] has long been regarded as only a puller, hooker and cutter but, last season, developed so much that he also drove strongly. |
▪ II. hooker2
(ˈhʊkə(r))
Also howker, hawker.
[App. orig. a. Du. hoeker, in Hexham ‘hoecker-schip a dogger-boat’, in Kilian hoeck-boot ‘a fishing-boat, so called from hoeck hook’.]
1. A two-masted Dutch coasting or fishing vessel.
| 1641 S. Smith Royal Fishings 4 A Hooker or Wellboat. 1781 Westm. Mag. IX. 555 There were also two large Hookers, which I could not conveniently bring away. 1794 Rigging & Seamanship I. 237 Howker, a vessel of burthen with two masts (main and mizen) used by the Dutch and Northern nations. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Howker, a two-masted Dutch vessel. |
2. A one-masted fishing smack on the Irish coast and south-west of England, similar to a hoy in build. Also attrib.
| 1801 Naval Chron. VI. 432 He was in a Cork hawker, which shipped a sea. 1807 Sir R. C. Hoare Tour Irel. 84 The whole morning was spent on board Mr. Newenham's hooker. 1813 Q. Rev. July 289 The cost of one of these hookers is from {pstlg}130 to {pstlg}150;..the mode of fishing is by the hook and line. 1884 West. Morn. News 28 July 1/4 Hookers belonging to the Port of Plymouth. 1894 Daily News 15 June 5/6 The number of hooker boats in Achill is very limited. |
3. Applied depreciatively or fondly to a ship.
| 1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneer xxiii, Where away did 'ee ever fall in with such a hooker? 1825 Blackw. Mag. XVIII. 50/2 You've the easiest birth in the hooker. 1865 Daily Tel. 6 Dec. 4/4 The voyage—fair or foul—has been made;..people shake hands with one another, giving the ‘old hooker’ a hearty cheer before they leave her. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Hooker, or Howker... Also, Jack's name for his vessel, the favourite ‘old hooker’. 1883 Century Mag. Oct. 945/1 The old hooker actually made two and a half knots, and answered her helm tolerably well. |
Hence ˈhookerman.
| 1894 Daily News 15 June 5/6 The hookerman should have lowered her sail before jibing. |
▪ III. † hooker3 Obs.
(See quots.)
| 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. ii. 30 Great stone pottes..such as the Golde finers call their Hookers. 1602 ― Delightes for Ladies Receipt iii, An earthen potte hauing a narrow mouth, and being well leaded within (the Refiners of gold and siluer, call these pottes hookers). |
▪ IV. hooker4 dial. and N. Amer. colloq.
(ˈhʊkə(r))
[Orig. unknown.]
A glass of whisky, a dram; usu. with qualifying word (e.g. stiff), a drink (of brandy, etc.).
| 1833 J. Kennedy Geordie Chalmers iv. 45 Ye'll be nane the waur o' a hooker after yer fricht. 1865 W. H. L. Tester Poems 133 Sandy liket a hooker, an' brawlie I kent, The drap creatur' wad set him a speakin'. 1887 Grip (Toronto) 21 May 12/2 We went in and were served out with a pretty stiff hooker each. 1906 H. Green At Actor's Boarding House 62 A stiff hooker of whiskey, and then another had the expected effect. 1927 Black Mask Feb. 37/1 It took a stiff hooker of whiskey and a lot of words to thaw her into understanding. 1930 H. Craddock Savoy Cocktail Bk. i. 97 The Juice of 1 Lemon. 4 Hookers Whiskey. 1939 C. Morley Kitty Foyle xxvii. 268 She gave me such a hooker of brandy I went right to sleep. 1955 ‘T. P. Kelley’ Black Donnellys 63 Danny was quiet enough until he got about six hookers under his belt. |
▪ V. hooker
var. of hookah.