Dictionary definition of “rowdy-sheeter”

rowdy-sheeter

n. a person with a criminal record; a hardened criminal. Subjects: English, India, Crime & Prisons, Police

Editorial Note: A synonym is history-sheeter. In India, a rowdy is far more often used than in other Anglophone countries to mean a lawless or disorderly person. Therefore, a rowdy sheet is what is known in the U.S. as a rap sheet—a criminal record—and a person who has such a record is therefore a rowdy-sheeter.

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Citations: 1996 Vivek Dhareshwar, R. Srivatsan @ Hyderabad Subaltern Studies (India) “‘Rowdy-sheeters:’ An Essay on Subalternity and Politics” no. 9, p. 209: News reportage on city crime seems to collapse the rowdy-sheeter and history-sheeter in their descriptions of arrests, shootouts, etc.: “notorious rowdy-sheeter” and “history-sheeter” are used interchangeably. 1997 [Rauf A. Adil] Usenet: soc.culture.indian (May 4) “Ghunda Raj in Hyderabad”: In a span of two months, more than eight rowdy-sheeters have been axed to death by their rivals. But the police just booked cases and left them without any follow-up action. The failure of police to check the movements of the rowdy-sheeters and persons with criminal records is said to be leading to such ghastly attacks. 1998 The Statesman (India) (Apr. 16) “Andhra Speaker suspends 28 MLAs for a day” (in Hyderabad): He also criticised the government’s decision to release 89 rowdy-sheeters on parole. 2001 S. Upendran The Hindu (Chenai, India) (July 10) “Know your English”: The words “history sheeter” and “rowdy sheeter” are often used in India to refer to a person who has a long criminal record—someone who has been arrested several times. 2006 Newindpress.com (India) (Jan. 22) “Live by the sword, die by the sword” (in Mangalore): Though the district has 50 ‘senior rowdysheeters’ (‘A Class’ in police parlance) and 250 petty criminals, the “encounter” with Shaji was the first one for the anti-rowdy squad.

Posted 25 Jan 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend