2031: Hobo Signs (Systemized Graffiti) Jul 7, 2020

Some hobo-slang has entered into mainstream American English over the years, but perhaps more famous are the hobo-signs: systematized cryptic graffiti as a way to communicate with other hobos. These would be left around relevant places like railroads, personal homes, water-towers and doctors' offices to indicate things like "fresh water; safe place to sleep" (a squiggle with OXO underneath), "doctor won't charge" (plus sign with a circle in the top-right corner), or 'mean dog here'—or as they might have said, 'bone polisher'—(a box with 4 vertical lines connected by a horizontal line within). Many of these the subject of urban legends as well, but they had been in use since at least the 1870's.

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