hoofer en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱoph₂ós Proto-Germanic *hōfaz Proto-West Germanic *hōf Old English hōf Middle English hof English hoof English -er English hoofer From hoof (“dance”, verb) + -er.
Meanings
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(US, slang) A professional dancer, particularly one who has paid his or her dues.
Once a good friend of mine, a fine hoofer who was having trouble getting bookings, ran up to that tree, gave it a big smack, and yelled “Lawd please make me a pimp, any kind of a pimp, long as I’m pimpin’. I’m tired of scufflin’ and my feet are too long outa work.”
1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Tell a Green Man Something”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 3 (1928–1935: The Big Apple), page 208:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hoofers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (2)
it ballerina (professional dancer) · it ballerino (professional dancer)