c1425 Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Lincoln Oxf.) (1850) Exod. xxxii. 28 (margin) Thre thousende felden bi the swerdis of Leuytis, and xx thousende felden bi othere punchynges.

Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 416 Punchynge, or bu[n]chynge [?a1475 Winch. prykkynge], stimulacio, trusio.

a1500 tr. A. Chartier Quadrilogue (Rawl.) (1974) 144 On hir heede she ware a crowne of fyne golde which by diuerse punchingis [v.r. pusshinges; c1475 Univ. Oxf. hurtes; Fr. hurs] was so soore brwsid that hit hynge ryght soor on the one syde.

1535 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. viii. xvii. 1236/2 Cause of hurtynge and of punchynge [L. punctionis; 1398 styngynge] of mans bodye.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 291/2 The Punching Lead is for the Punching of Holes in the instep and Langetts of a Shooe for the ties to go through.

a1690 G. Fox Jrnl. (1694) 24 Oh! the Blows, Punchings, Beatings and Imprisonments that we underwent.

a1733 Ld. Raymond Rep. Courts King's Bench & Common Pleas (1743) 1 141 The many punchings of the prisoner.

1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 18 Punching is not applicable to cast iron, nor to small and deep, or very large holes in any metal.

1880 Times 27 Apr. 12/1 The roughness of the sides of the slots, caused by the punching, had a decidedly injurious effect on the stability of the ties.

1926 Amer. Math. Monthly 33 497 To facilitate the punching and reading of the cards, as well as the tabulating.

1990 D. McCullin Unreasonable Behaviour 20 I went in dread of the beatings and whackings, and even punchings that teachers had licence to administer.

1838 Times 23 Jan. 5/6 The patriots at Navy Island have obtained..large quantities of the punchings from the boilers of steamboats.

1892 Daily News 26 Oct. 2/1 A patent leather shoe is ornamented round the top with perforated punchings.

1947 R. Lee Electronic Transformers & Circuits iii. 75 There is always a certain amount of gap even with punchings stacked alternately in groups of 1.

1993 Newsweek 13 Sept. 11 (advt.) We..manufacture various metal structures, forgings, punchings and non-ferrous castings.

1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. O Pritch-aule, spunge, blacking tub, and punching yron.

1798 S. H. Wilcocke New & Compl. Dict. Eng. & Dutch Langs II. 211/2 Punching iron.

1856 Technol. Illustr. 158 A complete hunting apparatus, moreover, must include a paling and punching iron..for making holes for the poles.

1911 News (Frederick, Maryland) 25 May 8/2 Jewels can now be introduced into the design... When this is accomplished the punching iron can be used to produce hammered effects.

1813 M. Edgeworth Let. 1 Apr. (1971) 9 A description of the punching machine.

1991 Metalworking Production Sept. 20/2 The concept of off-line programming a punching machine is well established.

1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 869 The markings are confined to the ears, and consist of..holes made with punching-nippers.

1888 Scribner's Mag. Dec. (Advt. section) 65 Send for catalogue containing cuts and prices of Boxing Gloves, Fencing Goods,..Punching Bags, [etc.].

1911 Boxing 4 456/2 Once again that old trial hope, Fred Drummond, was dragged from his stall to play the part of punching-bag.

1976 G. Sims End of Web x. 72 Buchanan used him like a punching-bag, hitting him with every combination he knew.

1994 Denver Post 2 Jan. c5/5 She said she is tired of being a celebrity ‘punching bag’ for ‘fanatical environmental fundamentalists and bullies’.

1895 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Jrnl. 22 Sept. 6/2 Before he attacked the punching ball he drank some lemonade. Most fighters keep away from such things.

1900 A. Conan Doyle Green Flag 118 I turned it into a gymnasium... You'll find all you want there: clubs, punching ball, bars, dumb-bells, everything.

1991 P. Lewis Martial Arts (BNC) 126 Taekwondo practitioners use various aids to teach themselves correct timing in hand and foot techniques. One such aid is the punching ball.

1873 C. P. B. Shelley Workshop Appliances ix. 265 One or two instruments were mentioned which, although worked by hand, were capable of perforating plates of considerable thickness. Such are the ‘punching bear’ and other portable forms of apparatus.

1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Punching-bear, a machine for making holes in sheet-metal, operated by simple lever power or by hydraulic pressure.

1935 Times 19 Feb. 28/5 (advt.) Pneumatic Hammers, Drills, Hydraulic Riveters and Punching Bears.

1694 W. Burnaby tr. Petronius Satyr (new ed.) 105 Ye all knew Melissa Tarentina, a pretty little Punching-block, and withal Beautiful.

1847 Commerc. Rev. South & West Jan. 15 If the holes are not already punched in the hoops..you require a good punch, such as blacksmiths use, and a punching block.

1896 Syracuse (N.Y.) Daily Standard 8 May 3/6 Daly was groggy before the first round ended and in the second he was simply a punching block for McCoy.

1941 Times 4 Feb. 2/4 In the sixth round Paterson with a right-hand punch knocked Ryan through the ropes. From that point onwards Ryan was little more than a punching block.

2003 Graphic Arts Monthly (Nexis) 1 Apr. 26 The PlateRite 4100's external-drum design can be equipped with in-line punching blocks to ensure on-press registration.

1809 Sporting Mag. 33 77 At the late punching match.

1949 Times 6 July 6/6 Thenceforward it was largely a punching match in which there were rather more misses than hits.

2005 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 25 Feb. I do pity poor plod who..will have to referee a shouting match—and very possibly a punching match—between the shrieking harpies of the Campaign to Ban Absolutely Everything and various old Etonians.

1828 Times 20 Dec. 1/3 (advt.) Wanted, a powerful punching press.

1906 C. H. Benjamin Mod. Amer. Machine Tools x. 282 (caption) 60-inch punching press.

2000 R. A. Walsh Electromech. Design Handbk. (ed. 3) 11.10 A pattern of holes is punched simultaneously with one stroke of the punching press.

1869 Harper's Mag. July 176/1 Great sheets of brass and steel are first received in the Punching Room, where an enormous pair of shears cuts them into ribbons.

1946 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 109 124 Everything else went quite smoothly, but the sequence of operations was often held up by the punching-room.

1562 J. Shute tr. A. Cambini in Two Comm. Turcks i. f. 17^v Manye layde holde of the Pikes and punchinge staues of theyr enemies.

1590 H. Barwick Breefe Disc. Weapons 2 b For horsemen, a Launce, a punching staffe, Pistoll or mace.

1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge i. v. sig. C2 Does thy hart With punching anguish spur thy galled ribs?

1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 103 The Counter-Punch of A ought to be Forged Triangularly, especially towards the Punching End.

1765 W. Dunkin Poet. Wks. (1769) I. iv. 277 They..pound their passive sides With punching elbows.

1843 ‘R. Carlton’ New Purchase I. iii. 11 Opportunity also was afforded now of a more judicious disposal of various rubbing, poking and punching articles.

1889 G. Massey My Lyrical Life 98 Through all that punching time, Tom, The big heart rode sublime.

1950 East Anglian Mag. Nov. 166/1 That most outspoken, colourful, straight-punching president, Sir Alfred Munnings.

1997 Boxing News 19 Dec. 25/2 Kelley is a slick, fast-punching southpaw.

2001 Northern Echo (Nexis) 19 May 2 The punching politician, went to ground somewhere in the North-East yesterday with the nation's media kept well out of harm's way.