Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A hobo, especially one who carries a bedroll.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US A tramp (hobo) who carries a bedroll or a bundle of possessions.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[bindle, bundle (probably from German dialectal bindel, from Middle High German bündel, from binden, to bind, from Old High German binten; see bhendh- in Indo-European roots) + stiff.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From bindle +‎ stiff.

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Examples

  • One of them, a criminal city that we call a bindlestiff, attacked and destroyed the other; we were too far away to prevent it.

    Cities In Flight Blish, James 1957

  • But the bindlestiff was a migrant who stole from other migrants-he robbed their bindles, the bags they carried their few belongings in.

    Cities In Flight Blish, James 1957

  • Lange's caption: 'More than 25 years as a bindlestiff.

    American Pastoral Raban, Jonathan 2009

  • To find out more about Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, call 1-877-BINDLES or see www. bindlestiff.org.

    View from the Northern Border Michael Evans 2006

  • To find out more about Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, call 1-877-BINDLES or see www. bindlestiff.org.

    Archive 2006-01-22 Michael Evans 2006

  • The abbot revived him, blessed him, called him a good simpleton, and sent him to pack his bindlestiff.

    A Canticle for Leibowitz Miller, Walter M. 1959

  • Joshua reached for his bindlestiff and went to obey the summons of his ruler.

    A Canticle for Leibowitz Miller, Walter M. 1959

  • He would be traveling alone and unarmed, carrying only his bindlestiff and begging bowl in addition to the relic and its illuminated replica.

    A Canticle for Leibowitz Miller, Walter M. 1959

  • The monk untied his bindlestiff, spread its contents for display, and began to undress.

    A Canticle for Leibowitz Miller, Walter M. 1959

  • And the cops, in pursuit of the bindlestiff on the city's own Dirac alarm, would eventually come to He to see whether or not the Okies had fulfilled their contract-and would find the planet as raw as ever.

    Cities In Flight Blish, James 1957

Comments

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  • a hobo who carries a bedroll or his possessions. "And after Martin himself ran away, he used to whistle the song softly at night in the jungles, after the other bindlestiffs were asleep." --Rober Bloch, "That Hell-Bound Train"

    March 9, 2009