jabroni

Meaning

Noun

• a performer whose primary role is to lose to established talent.
• An obnoxious or contemptible person; a loser.

Related

Similar words

• jobber

Origin

• According to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who popularized the term, jabroni is a specialized rendition of the wrestling term jobber. It is perhaps a humorous pseudo-Italianized form of it (see popular Italian words in American lexicon, e.g. macaroni, ravioli, Zamboni), but compare American slang/dialectal jaboney , of Unknown. Surmised in a to be from Italian-American slang Italian giabone ("self-important fool"), from Piedmontese giambone, from dialectal giambon. Ultimately from French jambon ("ham"), and first attested by Thomas Happer Taylor in his 1967 novel A-18, although claims of hearing the term date to at least c. 1953.
• The term had previously been used by Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, the Iron Sheik and other members of WCW and Steve Austin while in ECW.