Talk:one-way ticket to Palookaville

This is not the correct definition of the phrase. A palooka is a loser (from the boxing parlance most likely), so ‘a one-way ticket to palookaville’ is a situation or event which leads to the speaker ending up being relegated to ‘loser-dom’ (so to speak). In ‘On The Waterfront’, the phrase is used in this sense - throwing the fight led to Terry Malloy ending up a loser, trapped in a series of low-stakes boxing matches rather than getting a shot at a title fight and the recognition he feels he deserves. It has absolutely nothing to do with ‘returning to a primitive state’

Incorrect definition
This is not the correct definition of the phrase. A palooka is a loser (from the boxing parlance most likely), so ‘a one-way ticket to palookaville’ is a situation or event which leads to the speaker ending up being relegated to ‘loser-dom’ (so to speak). In ‘On The Waterfront’, the phrase is used in this sense - throwing the fight led to Terry Malloy ending up a loser, trapped in a series of low-stakes boxing matches rather than getting a shot at a title fight and the recognition he feels he deserves. It has absolutely nothing to do with ‘returning to a primitive state’ 82.132.185.117 13:32, 24 September 2022 (UTC)