corner boys
Neighborhood block regulars
Corner boys are young men who spend time hanging out on street corners, typically in urban neighborhoods.
The term suggests idleness, petty crime, or gang activity, though it can simply mean locals who congregate in public spaces.
The phrase carries working-class and often African American urban connotations: The corner boys watched the cops drive by.
Popularized by the television series *The Wire*.
Those who deceive for profit
- dealersThose who sell merchandise
- gangsOrganized criminal groups
- blockSolid mass, or impede
- hoodAttached head covering
projects · bodega · stoop · turf · territory · lookout · crew · trap house
Working team aboard
- squadSmall working group
- posseArmed group pursuing fugitives
- homiesSlang for close friends
- hustlersThose who deceive for profit
dealers · gang · clique · associates · affiliates · fellas · brothers · peeps
People aged thirteen to nineteen
- adolescenceTeenage developmental stage
- young menMales in early adulthood
- peersThose of equal status
- inexperienceLack of prior exposure
recruitment · dropout · truancy · at-risk · mentorship · intervention · opportunity · coming-of-age
Covert listening device
- hip hopRhythmic spoken-word genre
- BaltimoreMajor Maryland seaport
- inner cityDense central metropolitan zone
- ghettoSegregated urban quarter
rap · urban decay · barbershop · block party · murals · storytelling · drama · sociology
Purposeless public lingering
- hanging outCasual socializing
- killing timePassing moments idly
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- boredomWeary disinterest from monotony
aimlessness · dawdling · lounging · restlessness · waiting · watching · gathering · socializing
Systematic observation of subjects
- lookoutWatcher or vista point
- watchfulnessCareful, sustained attention
- alertnessActive mental awareness
- sentryGuard on duty
scout · signal · warning · spotting · observation · monitoring · vigilance · guard
hustlers
Those who deceive for profit
hood · projects · bodega · stoop · turf · territory · lookout · crew · trap house · poverty
crew
Working team aboard
hustlers · dealers · gang · clique · associates · affiliates · fellas · brothers · peeps · compadres
teenagers
People aged thirteen to nineteen
- adolescenceTeenage developmental stage
- young menMales in early adulthood
- peersThose of equal status
inexperience · recruitment · dropout · truancy · at-risk · mentorship · intervention · opportunity · coming-of-age · initiation
The Wire
Covert listening device
- hip hopRhythmic spoken-word genre
- BaltimoreMajor Maryland seaport
- inner cityDense central metropolitan zone
ghetto · rap · urban decay · barbershop · block party · murals · storytelling · drama · sociology · journalism
loitering
Purposeless public lingering
- hanging outCasual socializing
- killing timePassing moments idly
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
boredom · aimlessness · dawdling · lounging · restlessness · waiting · watching · gathering · socializing · nowhere to go
surveillance
Systematic observation of subjects
- lookoutWatcher or vista point
- watchfulnessCareful, sustained attention
- alertnessActive mental awareness
sentry · scout · signal · warning · spotting · observation · monitoring · vigilance · guard · reconnaissance
corner boyswhite-collar workers
Salaried professional employees
office workers · corporate employees · taxpayers · wage earners · nine-to-fivers
corner boyspassersby
People going past
pedestrians · commuters · transients · travelers · foot traffic
corner boysIvy Leaguers
Students at prestigious northeastern universities
frat boys · young professionals · scholarship students · honor students
corner, boy, corners, cornered, cornering, boys, boyish, boyhood, cornice