It's a fine old American slang term for a jail, still widely known today. Hoosegow is now the standard spelling, though in its early days it was written half a dozen different ways. ...

What does hoosegow mean?

They also associated the word specifically with the jail that was usually in the same building as a courthouse. Today, hoosegow has become slang for any place of confinement for lawbreakers.

How do you use hoosegow in a sentence?

You ought to be locked in a hoosegow , you should! ...his guests under the table, Mr. Raines went forth for further celebration and landed broke in the hoosegow . The next thing I heard, two men we've been keeping an eye on were in the hoosegow , one with a slug in his shoulder.