jabroni

English

Alternative forms

jabrone, jabroney

Etymology

Alteration of earlier gibone (also spelled jiboney, jaboney, etc.), possibly from Italian giambone (“ham”).^[1] As a wrestling term, it was popularized by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who claimed to have borrowed it from the Iron Sheik. Prior to its popularization by Johnson, the term had also been used by Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and others.

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈbɹoʊni/
Rhymes: -əʊni

Noun

jabroni (plural jabronis)

An obnoxious or contemptible person; a loser.
- 2012 July 10, James Barry, The Sasquatch Chronicles: Attack of the Animizoid‎^[1], →ISBN:
  Howard glared at the kid walking towards him. "Now look here, jabroni. These are my trails and that's my tree house you're playing house in, and I don't remember you asking me permission to be here. […] "
- 2013 March 27, Michael Ricci, “Semi-Charmed Kind of Word”, in Columbia Spectator:
  Sometimes a person is stuck as a jabroni for life. Geraldo Rivera--there's a guy who no matter how high he grows his hair, how full he grows his moustache, or how dangerous an assignment he goes on as an "investigative reporter," he'll always be a jabroni.
- 2014 October 8, Leah Sottile, “The Right to Vape”, in The Atlantic:
  “I don’t want to be bullied again. I don’t want to feel like I have to stand in the cold again because some jabronis want to blow a three-foot cloud,” Richter says.
(professional wrestling slang) A performer whose primary role is to lose to established talent.
Synonym: jobber
- 1999, Matthew Moore, Lords of the Lockerroom, spoken by Mark Wolff (Mark Wolff), Can-Am Productions:
  Get out of this, uh, jabroni outfit.
- 2004, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan with Steve Anderson, Chair Shots and Other Obstacles: Winning Life's Wrestling Matches, →ISBN, page 148:
  A jobber—also known as jabroni, extra, and enhancement talent—is playing the part of getting beat all the time.

References

^ “jabroni, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2025.

[1] “jabroni, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2025.

[1]