louie
louie Lexical Profile
louie Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American An informal or slang term for a lieutenant in the military or a police department.
"The patrol officers waited at the station to brief the new louie on the overnight incident."
North American A left turn made while driving or walking, used almost exclusively in casual phrases such as 'hang a louie' or 'take a louie'.
"Just hang a louie at the next traffic light and you will see the diner on the corner."
American A classic American West Coast salad dish (often capitalized as 'Louie') consisting of crabmeat or shrimp served over crisp iceberg lettuce with a creamy, tangy Thousand Island-style dressing, hard-boiled eggs, and tomatoes.
"We stopped at a historic waterfront restaurant in San Francisco and ordered a fresh crab Louie for lunch."
• Rhymes for louie
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
In its military and police sense, the word emerged in early 20th-century American slang as a phonetic shortening and diminutive of 'lieutenant'. In the driving phrase 'hang a louie', it originated in 1960s American slang by substituting the personal name Louie (a diminutive of Louis) for 'left' through alliteration.