hoosegow
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A jail.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
There's parts of Mexico they'd take you straight to the hoosegow for just whistlin that.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “hoosegow” mean?
A jail.
Is “hoosegow” formal or informal?
hoosegow is generally slang.