calaboose

Definition

A prison or jail/gaol.

Etymology

From Cajun French calabousse, from Spanish calabozo. Doublet of calabozo.

Example Sentences

• "The slaughter-house is gone from the mouth of Bear Creek and so is the small jail (or 'calaboose') which once stood in its neighborhood. A citizen asked, 'Do you remember when Jimmy Finn, the town drunkard, was burned to death in the calaboose?'"
• "Bogator: (Still unbelieving) And you turned the calaboose over?"
• "[…] he had but recently come out of Calaboose, where he had been serving a term for debt […]"