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About This Quiz
For as long as we've had towns and space between them we've had journeymen, transients, drifters and hobos traveling from place to place to eke out an existence and see if there are greener pastures somewhere in the distance. The word hobo dates back to the 1890s int he United States, likely in the Northwestern or Western part of the country though it's hard to say for sure. These days the word is used pretty loosely and is, for many people, synonymous with a bum or a homeless person, but all of those words had different meanings once upon a time. For instance, a bum was a term for someone who does no work at all. A hobo, however, is someone who wants to work and travels around to do so. They ride the rails to where opportunity lies and see what new towns have to offer. But it's never just that easy.
Life as a hobo could be rough and full of danger. In order to try to help one another out there arose a kind of hobo alphabet, a series of signs and symbols they could scrawl in easy to see places that would allow others who came through to know what was up. Symbols could let another hobo know if a home would have a spare room in exchange for work, or free food. Others could warn of guard dogs or other dangers. If you think you can translate the hobo symbols of old, take the quiz and show your stuff!
Cats in this house
A kindhearted lady lives here.
The cat symbol means that a kind-hearted lady lives in the house, presumably because cat ladies have big hearts and are nice to animals? It's one of the more desirable symbols to run across if you're a hobo on the road.
Warm bed here
A small amount of food to be had here
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Work is available here!
A pair of shovels means that this is a good place to be because work is available. The nature of the work could vary, but whatever it is, it's probably worth looking into if your goal is to earn your keep for a while.
Two days worth of work
Work for more than one person
Work is very hard here.
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Bread
This symbol represents a loaf of bread, which you can probably get now that you know what it's supposed to be. It lets another hobo know that the menu in this particular location is going to be a little bit limited, but, as they say, beggars can't be choosers.
Work in the mornings
Work for a bed here
Inconsistent payment here
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No train service here
This is a good place to get a train.
Hobos get around by riding the rails, so it's good to know where the trains are. The tiny train symbol lets you know there's a good place to catch a train nearby, ideally the sort of place where no one is monitoring who's jumping on and off.
Trains are dangerous here.
Trains are monitored by cops here.
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Rich person here
A couple lives here.
A baby is in this house, keep it down.
Two diamonds side by side indicate that there is a baby in the home, and you should stay quiet. Hobos had to be very polite and accommodating if they expected to get any food or money, so this was important info.
This house is also a business.
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Camping this way
Food this way
Don't go this way.
A circle with an arrow through it in which the center of the circle is left empty is a warning symbol. It's telling the hobo who reads it that they do not want to go that way. The danger is not specified, but it's enough to know something bad is that way.
Trainyard this way
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Doctor here who doesn't charge
The plus sign is the medical cross, and when it's capped by that little circle, it indicates a kind doctor that is willing to help you out. Back in the day and up through the Depression, this would have been a literal lifesaver and much more common than anything today.
Elderly couple here
Avoid this house at all costs.
No work here
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Doctor here but he charges
Work for food here
You'll get cursed out here.
Though it looks like stitches, this symbol is a little more confusing than anything to do with medicine. It means that the person who lives here will curse you out. All things being equal, you should probably avoid a symbol like that.
Free bed here
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Dog in the yard here
Electric fence here
Build a fence for money here.
Housewife pays for chores with food here.
Those four lines indicate that the housewife in this home will give you some food in exchange for doing chores. You may not know this, but hobos actually created a union back in the day that had a code of ethics for them to follow.
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Easy work here
Hard work here
Good for two night's stay
Tell a hard-luck story here.
Two spikes in the letter M formation means that if you want to get something out of this place, it's in your best interest to tell a hard-luck story. Whether that means exaggerating some details or outright lying is anyone's guess.
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No work in bad weather
You can sleep in the loft here.
This curious symbol indicates that there is a loft on the premises that you can sleep in. Why would so many people be open to helping hobos? Part of their ethical code back in the day was always to be courteous and respectful.
Beware of the homeowner.
Food but no lodging
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Talk religion to get food here.
The symbol of a cross outside a building meant that your host was a religious sort, and if you could discuss religion with them, it could be worth a meal to you. Never hurts to be well versed in topics other people hold dear.
Go to the local church for a bed.
Avoid the church in this town.
Leave town fast.
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Thieves nearby
No work here
Avoid at all costs.
Good for a handout
Sometimes X marks the spot, and in this case, it marks the place where a hobo could go and get a handout. According to hobo ethics, that means you can't go here if this person seems like they're in a vulnerable position. You should always respect others.
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You can stay here for a long time.
Be ready to defend yourself.
An arrow is a symbol of war, so it makes sense that this particular hobo symbol indicates that you need to be ready to defend yourself. Likely that meant the people in this area were not hobo friendly, and moving on would be a good idea.
Hard work for little pay
You might get ripped off here.
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Sleep outside this house
Sleep inside this house
Alcohol in this town
No alcohol in his town
Remember, these symbols came from the Depression Era very often and the time of the prohibition, so this symbol, which means the town is dry and free of alcohol, was probably more common than you might have thought it would be.
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Woman
This is essentially the stickman version of a lady in a dress, so it makes sense that it's the symbol for a woman. Now whether that means a housewife, a woman living alone, or something else altogether is not really clear.
Rich folks
Grandmother
No help here
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Room at the church
Food for work
The symbol is perplexing, but what it means is that you can get food here if you're willing to work for it. Part of the hobo code was to always look for work, in particular the work no one else was willing to do.
Sleep in the barn
Christian home
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Family of five
Chance to make money here
Those five rings are no rings at all but representative of coins. The symbol indicates there's a good chance you can make some money here. The hobo code stated you should never use that money to get stupid drunk. A little drunk, sure. But not stupid drunk.
Lots of work here
The barn is good for sleeping here.
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Outdoor work here
Indoor work here
Kind gentleman lives here.
Hobo symbols don't have to make a lot of sense, and this one fits the bill in that regard. The window with a triangle combination means that a kind gentleman lives here, and you may be able to get a hand from him.
Police are on the lookout here.
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Easy work here
Lots of hobos in the area
Beware of dog
Hold your tongue
That little leg trailing off to the side might just be your tongue, and this symbol means you ought to hold it. Basically, keep a low profile here, don't talk out of turn, and probably keep any cussing to yourself.
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No food here
House is heavily guarded.
That little bar across the door on this symbol indicates that the house you're at is very well guarded. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but you probably don't want to try anything funny here, just to be on the safe side.
You can't stay here.
House is abandoned.
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Friendly folks here
Lots of food here
Sleep in the loft here
You can sleep in the barn here.
That big smile means you can get a night's sleep in the barn at this location. There are actually a few symbols that share this meaning; another one looks like a pair of wavy lines on a stick over a circle.
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You can get work for 2 to 10 days.
Watch out for thieves.
For whatever reason, the 2/10 equation is a warning that you need to beware; there are thieves around. Hobos were an easy target for thieves since they had no place to stay, and they were already frowned on by most people, including law enforcement.
Pay is very low here.
Dangerous at night
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Keep away
This triangle with an antenna or possibly a teepee is a warning symbol. When you see it, it means that you'd best keep away. Either the people here are unfriendly, or there's some other kind of danger. Either way, there's no need to find out, just leave.
Good place to sleep
Sleep in the loft here
Friendly family
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Soft bed here
No money but food available
Poor family here
This bumpy little line indicates that the family living here is poor. Based on the hobo code, you'd want to know not to bother these people, or if they are willing to help you out, don't take advantage of them since they're hard up themselves.
Rich family here
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No work here
Help if you're sick
Maybe this R is meant to represent the staff that's sometimes used as a symbol for medicine, who knows? In any event, it means that you can go to this place for help if you're sick and need some medicine or other help of that nature.
Angry dog
Lots of police
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Christians live here.
No rooms for sleeping here
Man with a gun lives here.
The triangle seems to put putting its hands up here, and maybe that's because it's telling you a guy with a gun lives in this house This is a warning symbol that you should definitely just keep moving if you want to stay safe.
Thieves are around.
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Sisters live here.
Mean dogs here
Those crisscrossed Ws indicate that a mean dog lives in the house you're at, so you might want to back off. Hard to say why that symbol was used but all things being equal, it does kind of look like cartoon dog teeth.
All talk no pay here
Well paying home
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Train close by
Church with multiple beds
Police officer lives here.
Four lines across a center line looking like a segment of a fence is an indication that the house you're at is occupied by a police officer. This is generally a bad thing as hobos, as illegal riders of rails, are viewed as criminals by most police.
No work in winter
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A dishonest person lives here.
This symbol looks like a gibberish scrawl more than anything else, but it carries a weighty meaning. The person at this location is dishonest, and you should keep your eyes open, this may end up bad for you.
Nothing to see here
Work in the fields here
Good place to camp
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This way to work
I went that way.
Get out fast
A circle that points away with a pair of arrows is a serious warning. You need to get out fast. Whether the danger is thieves, police, a bad homeowner or something else, this is not a friendly place for a hobo, and you need to be on the move.
Better opportunities this way
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Houseboat
Work in the water here
Sleep on the beach here
Bad water
The little cartoon wave over some sort of cube is a warning sign. There may be water nearby, but it's not water you want to drink because there's something bad here. Usually, this would be found near an open source like a pond or a stream.
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Good food here
Bad food here
Courthouse or police station
Why this particular symbol means a police station or courthouse is anyone's guess, but that's what it indicates. Hobos are historically not fond of law enforcement, so this is a casual warning to go somewhere else.
Farm work here
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Lots of work here
Hobos arrested on sight
Those two rings are symbolic of handcuffs because this symbol means hobos are arrested on sight. Even though some were just looking for work, other hobos were potentially dangerous or criminal, and some places chose to arrest all of them whenever they were found.
No room to sleep
Keep your eyes open for danger
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Decent food here
Leave before dawn
Work before dawn here
Good place to sleep
This semi-circle symbol is a simple and easy one that means this is a good place to sleep. This symbol is much more plain than many others, likely for ease of use. The easier a symbol is to draw and recognize, the more helpful it will be.
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This person is weird.
Telephone here
Is there a reason a bird is used as a symbol for a phone? Hard to say. Birds travel long distances, maybe that has something to do with it. This symbol likely hasn't been used in decades because why would anyone care about a phone anymore?
Farmwork here
Sleep in the barn here
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The owner has a bad temper.
The squiggle in the box is a sign that you're near an owner with a bad temper. It looks vaguely like a symbol used for ovens, so that may be where it came from — the owner is a bit of a hothead and should be avoided.
Hot food here
No food here
Bad food here
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Avoid this place
No food here
Vegetarian here
Fake an illness here
The V symbol scrawled somewhere means it's time to get deceptive. If you fake an illness, you may get more help than if you just present yourself as a healthy person who's looking for work in this location.
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Watch out for wild animals here.
Hard work here
Lots of work here
Jail
This symbol might be meant to reflect the look of bars in a jail cell, but whatever the case, it does symbolize jail. That means either the jail is nearby or you're heading there if you stick around too long.
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Nothing here
A simple circle lets hobos know that nothing is going on in the area, and they'd do well to keep moving. There's nothing good, nothing bad, just no work, and no reason to stick around unless you're just looking for a place to do nothing.
Leave while you can.
Work all year round here
Dangerous homeowner
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You Got:
/40
