hobo code
Transient symbol system
Hobo code refers to the system of symbols that American hobos chalked or scratched on fences, posts, and buildings during the early twentieth century to communicate with fellow travelers.
The marks conveyed practical information: a safe place to sleep, a house where food might be given, an aggressive dog, hostile police.
The cat scratched near the door was hobo code for a kind woman.
The system is now largely historical, though it persists in popular imagination as romantic lore of the road.
- trampWandering homeless person
- bindleWanderer's tied bundle
- freightGoods being transported
- railroadPermanent track for trains
- symbolRepresentational mark or sign
chalk · mark · vagrant · drifter · wanderer · boxcar · train yard · hopping · secret · danger · kindness · handout · spare change · campfire · jungle · sign · warning · safe
hobo codeuniversal symbols
Globally recognized visual markers
tourist information · public notices · welcome signs · visitor information · open communication
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