Glossary of Wobbly terms

For several decades, many hobos in the United States were members of, or were sympathetic to, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Because of this, some of the terms describe the life of a hobo such as "riding the rails", living in "jungles", dodging the "bulls".

The IWW's efforts to organize all trades allowed the lingo to expand to include terms relating to mining camps, timber work, and farming.

Some words and phrases believed to have originated within Wobbly lingo have gained cultural significance outside of the IWW.

For example, from Joe Hill's song "The Preacher and the Slave", the expression pie in the sky has passed into common usage, referring to a "preposterously optimistic goal.