Brewer's: Loafers

Tramps, thieves, and the ne'er-do-well. Idle fellows who get their living by expedients; chevaliers d'industrie. (German, läufer, a runner; Dutch, looper.)

“Until the differentiation of the labourer from the loafer takes place, the unemployed question can never be properly dealt with.” —Nineteenth Century, December, 1893, p. 855.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language