Knock"a*bout` (?), n.

1.

(Naut.)

A small yacht, generally from fifteen to twenty- five feet in length, having a mainsail and a jib. All knockabouts have ballast and either a keel or centerboard. The original type was twenty-one feet in length. The next larger type is called a raceabout.

2.

A knockabout performer or performance.

[Theat. Slang]

3.

A man hired on a sheep station to do odd jobs.

[Colloq., Australia]

© [Webster 1913].

Knock"a*bout` (?), a.

1.

Marked by knocking about or roughness.

2.

Of noisy and violent character.

[Theat. Slang]

3.

Characterized by, or suitable for, knocking about, or traveling or wandering hither and thither.

4.

That does odd jobs; -- said of a class of hands or laborers on a sheep station.

[Collog., Australia]

© [Webster 1913].

Knockabout (definition)