whack-a-molen.

Brit.

/ˈwakəˌməʊl/, U.S.

/ˈ(h)wækəˌmoʊl/

Forms: 1900s– whac-a-mole, 1900s– whack-a-mole. Also with capital initial(s).

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: whack v., a adj., mole n.³

Etymology: < whack v. + a adj. + mole n.³

Chiefly North American.

1. An arcade game in which imitation moles continuously pop up from different holes at random, and players attempt to hit them with a mallet.In form Whac-a-Mole a proprietary name.

ΚΠ

1979 Winnipeg Free Press 30 June 39/4 The man was in charge of the Whac-a-Mole booth.

1989 Chicago Tribune (Electronic ed.) 19 May 32 After an intense game of ‘Whack a Mole’, game players young and old will be ready for some sustenance.

2008 K. A. Kemp et al. RTI & Math 271 Alex played Whack-a-Mole at the school fair.

2. figurative. Used with reference to a problem which is addressed in a piecemeal or superficial manner, resulting merely in temporary, minor, or localized improvement, or to a situation in which problems continually or unpredictably arise.

ΚΠ

1987 Computer Design Oct. 66/2 Solid-state disk provides yet another illustration of the Whack-A-Mole concept at work. The potential transfer rate of solid-state disks is so high that it easily saturates I/O buses.

1994 USA Today (Electronic ed.) 18 Aug. 6 a He's playing a never-ending game of ‘whack-a-mole’... No sooner does he hammer down one problem or scandal than another one pops up.

2003 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 24 Nov. b3 Operation Iron Hammer is a valiant name for the latest U.S. strategy in Iraq, but it sure looks like Whack-a-Mole to me.

2012 N. Barofsky Bailout viii. 154 Our investigation team worked tirelessly..but it was a game of whack-a-mole that we could never win.

This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2013; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	whack-a-mole
释义	whack-a-molen. Brit. /ˈwakəˌməʊl/, U.S. /ˈ(h)wækəˌmoʊl/ Forms: 1900s– whac-a-mole, 1900s– whack-a-mole. Also with capital initial(s). Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: whack v., a adj., mole n.³ Etymology: < whack v. + a adj. + mole n.³ Chiefly North American. 1. An arcade game in which imitation moles continuously pop up from different holes at random, and players attempt to hit them with a mallet.In form Whac-a-Mole a proprietary name. ΚΠ 1979 Winnipeg Free Press 30 June 39/4 The man was in charge of the Whac-a-Mole booth. 1989 Chicago Tribune (Electronic ed.) 19 May 32 After an intense game of ‘Whack a Mole’, game players young and old will be ready for some sustenance. 2008 K. A. Kemp et al. RTI & Math 271 Alex played Whack-a-Mole at the school fair. 2. figurative. Used with reference to a problem which is addressed in a piecemeal or superficial manner, resulting merely in temporary, minor, or localized improvement, or to a situation in which problems continually or unpredictably arise. ΚΠ 1987 Computer Design Oct. 66/2 Solid-state disk provides yet another illustration of the Whack-A-Mole concept at work. The potential transfer rate of solid-state disks is so high that it easily saturates I/O buses. 1994 USA Today (Electronic ed.) 18 Aug. 6 a He's playing a never-ending game of ‘whack-a-mole’... No sooner does he hammer down one problem or scandal than another one pops up. 2003 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 24 Nov. b3 Operation Iron Hammer is a valiant name for the latest U.S. strategy in Iraq, but it sure looks like Whack-a-Mole to me. 2012 N. Barofsky Bailout viii. 154 Our investigation team worked tirelessly..but it was a game of whack-a-mole that we could never win. This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2013; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < n.1979
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