Definition:
a usually young man who does noisy and violent things as part of a group or gang; hoodlum
Examples:
"When Billy Windsor had mentioned the gangs, he had formed a mental picture of low-browed hooligans, keeping carefully to their own quarter of the town." – P.G. Wodehouse, Psmith, Journalist, 1915
"A Dutch court sentenced the hooligan who attacked [the] goalkeeper during a cup match ... to a six-month prison term Thursday ..." – Associated Press, December 29, 2011
About the Word:
This word may be eponymous: Patrick Hooligan was an Irish-born ruffian who attained notoriety (and who died in prison) in London shortly before the turn of the 20th century. It's still associated with Britain, where "football hooliganism" is sometimes referred to as the "English disease."
