From Dutch husselen or by metathesis from Dutch hutselen (“to shake up”), a frequentative of hutsen (“to stir, to move something (back and forth)”).
Meanings
(countable, uncountable) A state of busy activity.
(countable, uncountable) A propensity to work hard and get things done; ability to hustle.
'It's just natural for the folks here to be indolent,' she said. 'They just haven't got any hustle in them.' 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 3, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 26:
(countable, qualifier:preceded by a definite article, uncountable) A type of disco dance, commonly danced to the Van McCoy song The Hustle (1975).
(countable, uncountable) A scam or swindle.
(countable, slang, uncountable) An activity, such as prostitution or reselling stolen items, that a prisoner uses to earn money in prison.
(countable, slang, uncountable) An act of prostitution.
Little Joe never once gave it away / Everybody had to pay and pay / A hustle here and a hustle there / New York City's the place 1972, Lou Reed, “Walk on the Wild Side”:
(countable, informal, uncountable) An activity, especially to achieve a desired goal or make money.
ru толкотня́ (rush or hurry) · de Hast (rush or hurry) · ca tràfec (rush or hurry) · fr agitation (rush or hurry) · pl bieganina (rush or hurry) · es bullicio (rush or hurry) · it spinta (rush or hurry) · fr bousculade (rush or hurry) · it fretta (rush or hurry) · ru спе́шка (rush or hurry) · de Hektik (rush or hurry) · fr cohue (rush or hurry) · es ajetreo (rush or hurry) · ru су́толока (rush or hurry) · ru суета́ (rush or hurry) · es correcorre (rush or hurry) · he המולה (rush or hurry) · es corredera (rush or hurry) · fi kiire (rush or hurry) · it trambusto (rush or hurry) · gl bulicio (rush or hurry) · es corre corre (rush or hurry) · bg бързане (rush or hurry) · fi hustle (type of dance) · it andirivieni (rush or hurry) · de Hetze (rush or hurry) · de Eile (rush or hurry) · ota قیزغینلق (rush or hurry) · fi hoppu (rush or hurry) · ru хасл (type of dance)
From Dutch husselen or by metathesis from Dutch hutselen (“to shake up”), a frequentative of hutsen (“to stir, to move something (back and forth)”).
Meanings
To push someone roughly; to crowd; to jostle.
There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.[…]Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place. Pushing men hustle each other at the windows of the purser's office, under pretence of expecting letters or despatching telegrams. 1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:
(intransitive) To rush or hurry.
I'll have to hustle to get there on time.
Men in dairy lunches were hustling to gulp down the food which cooks had hustled to fry 1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter 12, in Babbitt:
(transitive) To bundle; to stow something quickly.
There was a person called Nana who ruled the nursery. Sometimes she took no notice of the playthings lying about, and sometimes, for no reason whatever, she went swooping about like a great wind and hustled them away in cupboards. 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit:
(transitive) To con, swindle, or deceive, especially financially.
The guy tried to hustle me into buying into a bogus real estate deal.
To play deliberately badly at a game or sport in an attempt to encourage players to challenge one.
(informal) To obtain by illicit or forceful action.
(informal) To sell sex; to work as a pimp.
(informal) To be a prostitute; to exchange use of one's body for sexual purposes for money.
All my life, been hustling / And tonight is my appraisal / 'Cause I'm a hooker selling songs / And my pimp's a record label 2018, Brendon Urie, Michael Angelakos, Sam Hollander, Morgan Kibby, Jake Sinclair, Dillon Francis, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”, in Pray for the Wicked, performed by Panic! at the Disco:
(informal) To serve (a clientele) as a prostitute.
When I was in Morocco I wrote this play ("Playland Blues") about young kids who […] hustle old gay men and closet queens. 1976 February 14, Tommi Avicolli, Miguel Pinero, “Miguel Pinero: Prisoner, Playwright, God”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 33, page 9:
To dance the hustle, a disco dance.
(informal) To work.
(informal) To put a lot of effort into one's work.
Frazier and Gary worked for me for free -- for six months -- they didn't take any money from the house. They worked for tips. They both had other jobs, and they came in here and they hustled their ass. 1977 August 27, Steve Savage, Susan "Suki" Eagan, “Everything You Wanted to Know About Suki, But Were Too Distracted In Chaps to Ask Her”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 8, page 9:
scn mpidugghiari (to con or deceive) · es trapichear (to put in a lot of effort) · de abziehen (to con or deceive) · cs pospíchat (to rush or hurry) · scn mprugghiari (to con or deceive) · de betrügen (to con or deceive) · ru спеши́ть (to rush or hurry) · fa کلاشی کردن (to con or deceive) · scn manijàrisi (to rush or hurry) · bg мамя (to con or deceive) · fr bousculer (to rush or hurry) · he מִהֵר (to rush or hurry) · es cinchar (to put in a lot of effort) · ru наду́ть (to con or deceive) · tr acele etmek (to rush or hurry) · eo ĉarlatani (to con or deceive) · mi ātute (to rush or hurry) · scn mbrusiari (to con or deceive) · bg бързам (to rush or hurry) · he רִמָּה (to con or deceive) · scn nfrijinziari (to con or deceive) · eo dispuŝi (to rush or hurry) · de hetzen (to rush or hurry) · fr se grouiller (to rush or hurry) · fi huijata (to con or deceive) · scn truffari (to con or deceive) · es darse prisa (to rush or hurry) · mi taututetute (to rush or hurry) · es hacer los imposibles (to put in a lot of effort) · fi petkuttaa (to con or deceive) · ru обма́нывать (to con or deceive) · cs spěchat (to rush or hurry) · de sich beeilen (to rush or hurry) · es apurarse (to rush or hurry) · ca apressar-se (to rush or hurry) · fr se dépêcher (to rush or hurry) · es engañar (to con or deceive) · fi hoppuilla (to rush or hurry) · lv razkruķīt (to con or deceive) · scn dàrisi versu (to rush or hurry) · fi kiiruhtaa (to rush or hurry) · it darsi da fare (to rush or hurry) · eo trompi (to con or deceive) · it imbrogliare (to con or deceive) · ru обману́ть (to con or deceive) · fi huiputtaa (to con or deceive) · ru раскрути́ть (to con or deceive) · scn annacàrisi (to rush or hurry) · it truffare (to con or deceive) · it affrettarsi (to rush or hurry) · pt apressar-se (to rush or hurry) · ru торопи́ться (to rush or hurry) · fi kiirehtiä (to rush or hurry) · mi tutetute (to rush or hurry) · fr s'agiter (to rush or hurry) · es engrupir (to con or deceive) · mi whakatūkawikawi (to rush or hurry) · ru надува́ть (to con or deceive)