bindle stiff

Definition

A hobo, misfit, criminal, wanderer, or drifting harvest worker.

Etymology

From bindle, a hobo’s sack.

Example Sentences

• "“So maybe you better jus’ scatter along now, ’cause Curley maybe ain’t gonna like his wife out in the barn with us ‘bindle stiffs.’ ”"
• "He felt like a toss-up between a bindle stiff and a skid row derelict."