plugugly

[pluhg-uhg-lee] /ˈplʌgˌʌg li/
noun, plural pluguglies. Informal.
1.
a ruffian; rowdy; tough.
Origin
1855-60, Americanism; plug + ugly
British Dictionary definitions for plug-ugly

plug-ugly

adjective
1.
(informal) extremely ugly
noun (pl) -lies
2.
(US, slang) a city tough; ruffian
Word Origin
C19: origin obscure; originally applied to ruffians in New York who attempted to exert political pressure
Word Origin and History for plug-ugly
n.

"ruffian," 1856, originally in Baltimore, Maryland, from plug (n.), American English slang name for the stovepipe hats then popular among young men, + ugly.

Slang definitions & phrases for plug-ugly

plug-ugly

noun
  1. A rowdy; tough; gorilla, hood (1856+)
  2. A prizefighter; pug (1940s+)

[origin unknown; perhaps fr rowdy fire companies in Baltimore, hence fr fireplug; perhaps fr New York toughs of the 1830s who wore top hats over their ears as helmets; perhaps related to plug-muss, ''a fight,'' found by the early 1950s]