Knock"a*bout` (?), n.
1.
(Naut.)
A small yacht, generally from fifteen to twenty-
five feet in length, having a mainsail and a jib. All knockabouts
have ballast and either a keel or centerboard. The original type was
twenty-one feet in length. The next larger type is called a
raceabout.
2.
A knockabout performer or
performance.
[Theat. Slang]
3.
A man hired on a sheep station to do odd
jobs.
[Colloq., Australia]
© Webster 1913.
Knock"a*bout` (?), a.
1.
Marked by knocking about or roughness.
2.
Of noisy and violent character.
[Theat. Slang]
3.
Characterized by, or suitable for,
knocking about, or traveling or wandering hither and
thither.
4.
That does odd jobs; -- said of a class of
hands or laborers on a sheep station.
[Collog., Australia]
© Webster 1913.