palooka /pəˈluːkə/ noun2 •(US) Someone incompetent or untalented.But [Jack] Dempsey against some palooka who had been press agented into greatness and into the form of a Dempsey menace — that would pack any outdoor arena. — 1923 •(US, slang) A stupid, oafish or clumsy person. formspalookas