I. ˈhəsəl verb
( hustled ; hustled ; hustling -s(ə)liŋ ; hustles )
Etymology: Dutch husselen, hutselen to shake, toss, from Middle Dutch hutselen, freq. of hutsen to shake; akin to German dialect hotteln, hotzeln to shake — more at hod
transitive verb
1. : to shake or jar together in confusion : jostle
hustle pennies in a hat
2.
a. : to crowd or push roughly : shove
in the cell into which we were hustled were forty or fifty Negroes — R.M.Lovett
specifically : to jostle with intent to rob
they hustle old gentlemen; the old gentleman glances down, his watch is gone — E.M.Forster
b. : to convey forcibly or hurriedly
grabbed him by the arm and hustled him out the door — John Dos Passos
hustle freight aboard the scow — N.C.McDonald
allow himself to be hustled across the frontier — F.A.Ogg & Harold Zink
c. : to urge forward precipitately
hustle the tourist from one museum to the next
hustle your horse and don't say die — W.S.Gilbert
trying to hustle history along — N.E.Nelson
3.
a. : to obtain by energetic activity : gather , earn
hustled new customers — Time
hustled himself a job as a section hand — Pearl Puckett
b. : to exert pressure on : sell or promote business with : work
a waiter has to learn … that he must not hustle the customers — Robert Sylvester
they hustle them for drinks — A.J.Liebling
played it safe by hustling both sides of the street — Nelson Algren
c. : to deprive of one's possessions by force or fraud : rob , cheat
made the rounds of lovers' lanes … hustling the occupants of parked cars — C.L.Lamson
hustles schoolboys out of their lunch money with phony dice — Nelson Algren
specifically : to lure into a gambling game
intransitive verb
1. : push , shove , press
curious throngs hustle to the scene of the crime
someone hustled against him in the crowd
2. : to move or act with vigorous speed : bestir oneself energetically : hurry
urged her to hustle across the street before the light changed
ten miles of track a day were laid by hustling crews — R.A.Billington
3.
a. : to make strenuous efforts to secure money or business
our quartet was out hustling … and we knew we stood good to take in a lot of change before the night was over — Louis Armstrong
diesel boats hustle at the docks — H.G.Nickels
b. : to solicit for prostitution
there are fewer girls working in houses than there are hustling on the streets — Polly Adler
4. : to obtain money by fraud or deception : swindle ; specifically : to lure a victim into a crooked gambling game
II. noun
( -s )
1. : an act of jostling or shoving
2.
a. : energetic activity
increase of leisure, diminution of hustle , are the ends to be sought — Bertrand Russell
the hustle and bustle in construction of motels — A.L.Himbert
b. : a hurried motion : move
get a hustle on to stockpile these essential materials — Congressional Record
3. slang
a. : an income-producing activity : job
b.
(1) : an act or instance of fraud : swindle , racket
(2) : hustler