zapn.
/zap/, U.S. /zæp/ slang (originally U.S.).
1. Liveliness, energy, power, drive; also, a strong emotional effect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > [noun]
greennesseOE
lustinessc1325
forcea1375
vigourc1386
virrc1575
vigour1602
nerve1605
vivacity1649
vis1650
actuosity1660
amenity1661
vogue1674
energy1783
smeddum1790
dash1796
throughput1808
feck1811
go1825
steam1826
jism1842
vim1843
animalism1848
fizz1856
jasm1860
verve1863
snap1865
sawdusta1873
élan1880
stingo1885
energeticism1891
sprawl1894
zip1899
pep1908
jazz1912
zoom1926
toe1963
zap1968
stank1997
the mind > emotion > aspects of emotion > effect produced on emotions > [noun] > strong
sensation1807
sock1936
zap1968
1968 N.Y. Times 2 Aug. 3 When the heat's too much and the gin's lost its zap.., tranquilize your jangled nerves with the Swinging Wonder.
1972 Publishers Weekly 6 Mar. 62/2 As for those lyrics—probably only the over-30s will dig them. Anyone older or younger won't grasp the ‘organic’ zap of rock's years of innocence.
1975 Harpers & Queen May 128/3 The zap of his language drawn from every dialect of the underground.
1979 Chatelaine (Canada) Jan. 50 She loves sports, especially skiing, but found she had lost some of her old zap.
1984 New Yorker 16 Apr. 141/1 He gives the film a manic zap.
2. A demonstration (by a group against something).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > [noun] > demonstration
protesting1582
demonstration1839
manifestation1875
demo1904
march1908
protest march1914
zap1972
1972 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 12 Feb. 26 Despite six zaps, New York's Mayor Lindsay has consistently refused to meet with any homosexual delegation.
1974 Times 7 Oct. 12/3 A demonstration, alternatively described as a community action or a zap, had been planned..in Brixton's Tesco supermarket.
3. Computing. A change in a program.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > change
zapping1972
zap1983
1983 80 Microcomputing Jan. 29/1 I would like to provide the following zaps to TRSDOS 1·3 for the Model III. To provide a 30ms track stepping rate you must change the nine bytes listed below.
4. A short, varying sound of the kind expressed by ‘zap!’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > sudden or violent sound > [noun]
peal1535
thud1535
bouncing1598
ran-tan1607
sulphur?1611
bursta1616
stound1627
randana1661
break1751
flare1815
slam-banging1823
bang1854
spang1883
whoomph1891
ka-boom1965
zap1984
1984 Verbatim 10 iii. 17/2 The whir of the flippers—pin-ball machines—the zaps of the video games.
Draft additions 1993
5. U.S. colloquial. A charge or bolt, as of electricity; a beam or burst of radiation from a laser, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > [noun] > burst of
spike1969
zap1979
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric charge, electricity > [noun]
electricity1646
tension1785
Q1846
point charge1896
zap1979
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > laser > [noun] > burst of radiation
zap1979
1979 T. Wolfe Right Stuff x. 263 He would get zaps of sunlight in his face.
1979 Mod. Photogr. Oct. 68 If the transformers were perfect you would get precisely the 110 volts you wanted and could care less about the big zap lurking outside.
1982 J. Purcell From Hand Ax to Laser xi. 289 How do you drill a hole in the diamond? This was a wearying process before the laser came along, but now a simple zap suffices.
1991 Discover Mar. 56/2 When Alvarez published his theories, people snapped them up because they explained everything in one great iridium zap.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
zapv.
/zap/, U.S. /zæp/ slang (originally U.S.).
I. transitive.
1.
a. To kill, esp. with a gun; to deal a sudden blow to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > kill [verb (transitive)]
swevec725
quelmeOE
slayc893
quelleOE
of-falleOE
ofslayeOE
aquellc950
ayeteeOE
spillc950
beliveOE
to bring (also do) of (one's) life-dayOE
fordoa1000
forfarea1000
asweveOE
drepeOE
forleseOE
martyrOE
to do (also i-do, draw) of lifeOE
bringc1175
off-quellc1175
quenchc1175
forswelta1225
adeadc1225
to bring of daysc1225
to do to deathc1225
to draw (a person) to deathc1225
murder?c1225
aslayc1275
forferec1275
to lay to ground, to earth (Sc. at eird)c1275
martyrc1300
strangle1303
destroya1325
misdoa1325
killc1330
tailc1330
to take the life of (also fro)c1330
enda1340
to kill to (into, unto) death1362
brittena1375
deadc1374
to ding to deathc1380
mortifya1382
perisha1387
to dight to death1393
colea1400
fella1400
kill out (away, down, up)a1400
to slay up or downa1400
swelta1400
voida1400
deliverc1400
starvec1425
jugylc1440
morta1450
to bring to, on, or upon (one's) bierc1480
to put offc1485
to-slaya1500
to make away with1502
to put (a person or thing) to silencec1503
rida1513
to put downa1525
to hang out of the way1528
dispatch?1529
strikea1535
occidea1538
to firk to death, (out) of lifec1540
to fling to deathc1540
extinct1548
to make out of the way1551
to fet offa1556
to cut offc1565
to make away?1566
occise1575
spoil1578
senda1586
to put away1588
exanimate1593
unmortalize1593
speed1594
unlive1594
execute1597
dislive1598
extinguish1598
to lay along1599
to make hence1605
conclude1606
kill off1607
disanimate1609
feeze1609
to smite, stab in, under the fifth rib1611
to kill dead1615
transporta1616
spatch1616
to take off1619
mactate1623
to make meat of1632
to turn up1642
inanimate1647
pop1649
enecate1657
cadaverate1658
expedite1678
to make dog's meat of1679
to make mincemeat of1709
sluice1749
finisha1753
royna1770
still1778
do1780
deaden1807
deathifyc1810
to lay out1829
cool1833
to use up1833
puckeroo1840
to rub out1840
cadaverize1841
to put under the sod1847
suicide1852
outkill1860
to fix1875
to put under1879
corpse1884
stiffen1888
tip1891
to do away with1899
to take out1900
stretch1902
red-light1906
huff1919
to knock rotten1919
skittle1919
liquidate1924
clip1927
to set over1931
creasea1935
ice1941
lose1942
to put to sleep1942
zap1942
hit1955
to take down1967
wax1968
trash1973
ace1975
the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by shooting
shootc893
shootc1275
to blow away1523
carry1653
to shoot (a person) down1845
stop1845
blow1871
ventilate1875
Maxim1894
poop1917
to blow apart1920
smoke1926
clip1927
cowboy1941
zap1942
Sten-gun1949
to light up1967
slot1987
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking in specific manner > strike in specific manner [verb (transitive)] > suddenly
flap?a1400
flop1888
zap1942
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > fire (a gun) [verb (transitive)] > shoot (a person or thing)
shoot1617
to bird off1688
to knock downa1744
to pick off1745
pop1762
drill1808
plug1833
perforate1838
slap1842
stop1845
pot1860
spot1882
plunk1888
pip1900
souvenir1915
poop1917
spray1922
smoke1926
zap1942
crack1943
pot-shoot1969
1942 L. V. Berrey & M. Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §118/3 Kill; murder,..wipe out, work off, zap.
1965 Time 10 Dec. 34 Zap..means to clobber.
1966 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) Fall 6 Zap, v., to slap... I got zapped when I tried that.
1969 I. J. C. Brown Rhapsody of Words 143 In Vietnam a man knocked out was said to be zapped.
1970 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 14 Dec. 3/3 A council workman on-duty during the week zapped any rat foolish enough to wiggle a whisker within a hundred yards of the place.
1971 Sunday Times 28 Mar. 9/1 He wants to prove a Hanoi man can zapp a Saigon man.
1971 Radio Times 18 Nov. 15/4 This year the system has zapped the counter-culture member in the sneakiest way of all, by robbing him of a decent way of making a living after graduation.
1977 Time 6 June 55/2 Proto..fires a beam of electrons at the pellet, zapping it with a jolt equal to 8 trillion watts.
1979 Mod. Photogr. Oct. 64 You can't run a darkroom without plug-in power, so you'd better make it electrically safe or you might get zapped!
1981 Observer 2 Aug. 10 God is not going to zap women for coming forth.
1982 N. Freeling Wolfnight 161 Unbureaucratically, any bugger who shoots, you zap.
1984 Weekly World News 25 Dec. 29/1 Teenager Vickie Parker was zapped to death by 640 volts of electricity when she wandered onto the tracks of an elevated train and accidentally touched the ‘live’ third rail.
1985 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 9 May 23/3 (advt.) In a New York restaurant, a young man celebrating with friends was zapped in the face by a man with an aerosol spray can.
b. To put an end to, do away with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > bring to ruin or put an end to
undoc950
shendOE
forfarea1000
endc1000
to do awayOE
aquenchc1175
slayc1175
slayc1175
stathea1200
tinea1300
to-spilla1300
batec1300
bleschea1325
honisha1325
leesea1325
wastec1325
stanch1338
corrumpa1340
destroy1340
to put awayc1350
dissolvec1374
supplanta1382
to-shend1382
aneantizec1384
avoidc1384
to put outa1398
beshenda1400
swelta1400
amortizec1405
distract1413
consumec1425
shelfc1425
abroge1427
downthringc1430
kill1435
poisonc1450
defeat1474
perish1509
to blow away1523
abrogatea1529
to prick (also turn, pitch) over the perka1529
dash?1529
to bring (also send) to (the) pot1531
put in the pot1531
wipea1538
extermine1539
fatec1540
peppera1550
disappoint1563
to put (also set) beside the saddle1563
to cut the throat of1565
to throw (also turn, etc.) over the perch1568
to make a hand of (also on, with)1569
demolish1570
to break the neck of1576
to make shipwreck of1577
spoil1578
to knock on (in) the head (also rarely at head)1579
cipher1589
ruinate1590
to cut off by the shins1592
shipwreck1599
exterminate1605
finish1611
damnify1612
ravel1614
braina1616
stagger1629
unrivet1630
consummate1634
pulverizea1640
baffle1649
devil1652
to blow up1660
feague1668
shatter1683
cook1708
to die away1748
to prove fatal (to)1759
to knock up1764
to knock (or kick) the hindsight out or off1834
to put the kibosh on1834
to cook (rarely do) one's goose1835
kibosh1841
to chaw up1843
cooper1851
to jack up1870
scuttle1888
to bugger up1891
jigger1895
torpedo1895
on the fritz1900
to put paid to1901
rot1908
down and out1916
scuppera1918
to put the skids under1918
stonker1919
liquidate1924
to screw up1933
cruel1934
to dig the grave of1934
pox1935
blow1936
to hit for six1937
to piss up1937
to dust off1938
zap1976
1976 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 22 Apr. 21/4 We can zap a headache almost immediately.
1982 Sunday Sun-Times (Chicago) 17 Oct. 62 (heading) Atari seeks to zap X-rated video games.
2. To fail (someone) in a test, course, etc.; to punish (see also quot. 1969).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > [verb (transitive)]
threac897
tighta1000
beswinkc1175
punisha1325
chastise1362
paina1375
justifya1393
wage1412
reformc1450
chasten1526
thwart over thumba1529
chastifyc1540
amerce?1577
follow1579
to rap (a person) on the knuckles (also fingers)1584
finea1616
mulcta1620
fita1625
vindicate1632
trounce1657
reward1714
tawse1790
sort1815
to let (a person) have it1823
visit1836
to catch or get Jesse1839
to give, get goss1840
to have ita1848
to take (a person) to the woodshed1882
to give (one) snuff1890
soak1892
give1906
to weigh off1925
to tear down1938
zap1961
slap1968
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)]
threac897
threapc897
begripea1000
threata1000
castea1200
chaste?c1225
takec1275
blame1297
chastya1300
sniba1300
withnima1315
undernima1325
rebukec1330
snuba1340
withtakea1340
reprovec1350
chastisea1375
arate1377
challenge1377
undertake1377
reprehenda1382
repreync1390
runta1398
snapea1400
underfoc1400
to call to account1434
to put downc1440
snebc1440
uptakec1440
correptc1449
reformc1450
reprise?c1450
to tell (a person) his (also her, etc.) own1450
control1451
redarguec1475
berisp1481
to hit (cross) one over (of, on) the thumbs1522
checkc1530
admonish1541
nip1548
twig?1550
impreve1552
lesson1555
to take down1562
to haul (a person) over the coals1565
increpate1570
touch1570
school1573
to gather up1577
task1580
redarguate?1590
expostulate1592
tutor1599
sauce1601
snip1601
sneap1611
to take in tax1635
to sharp up1647
round1653
threapen1671
reprimand1681
to take to task1682
document1690
chapter1693
repulse1746
twink1747
to speak to ——1753
haul1795
to pull up1799
carpet1840
rig1841
to talk to1860
to take (a person) to the woodshed1882
rawhide1895
to tell off1897
to tell (someone) where he or she gets off1900
to get on ——1904
to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908
strafe1915
tick1915
woodshed1935
to slap (a person) down1938
sort1941
bind1942
bottle1946
mat1948
ream1950
zap1961
elder1967
society > education > educational administration > examination > examine a candidate [verb (transitive)] > fail a candidate
to turn by1653
pluck1713
flunk1843
plough1854
spin1860
fail1884
pill1908
pip1908
zap1961
1961 Amer. Speech 36 149 The cadet who is zapped is the recipient of a large number of demerits or other cadet punishments. The term was probably taken from a favorite cadet newspaper comic strip, ‘B.C.’, where zapp is used as the sound of any blow.
1969 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) Winter 12 Zap, v., to ‘put down’; to put someone in his place.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 17 Jan. 8/5 A graduate student whose ‘scholarly potential’ is not overwhelmingly lauded ‘is going to get zapped’.
3. To overwhelm emotionally.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > quality of inspiring wonder > cause wonder, astonish [verb (transitive)]
marvela1425
esmarvel1477
amaze?1533
wondera1561
bewondera1586
to hold at gaze1594
admire1598
wonder-maze1603
astonish1611
thunderstrike1613
surprise1655
to astonish the natives1801
emmarvel1834
zap1967
mind-blow1970
gobsmack1987
1967 Punch 26 July 123/1 I'll be zapped with love, blow the mind of straight people.
1970 New Yorker 22 July 4/3 If the music doesn't zap you..you can contemplate..movies on the wall.
1971 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 30 May 47/1 Our politicians turn to the architects, presuming them to be the theatrical stage managers of the city to zap the masses with compelling masques and follies.
1974 A. Lurie War between Tates (1977) vi. 134 If The Book is published in time, and the right people in Washington read it, it's going to really zap them.
1977 It May 31/3 (advt.) Bring you own sounds!!, and get zapped.
1983 Theology Jan. 15 A well-known evangelist invited the undergraduates of Oxford to allow themselves to be ‘zapped by the Holy Spirit’.
4. To send, put, or hit in a forceful way.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impelling or driving > impel or drive [verb (transitive)] > forcibly
chase1340
rushc1384
runa1425
swingc1540
hurricano1702
barge1903
zap1967
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move or cause to move swiftly in specific manner [verb (transitive)] > cause to move swiftly and vigorously
zap1967
1967 Time 22 Dec. 56 For quick acceleration..the nickel-cadmium batteries would cut in briefly, could zap the car from a standstill to 50 m.p.h. in 20 seconds.
1972 D. Delman Week to Kill 139 I nosed the car out of town and on to 118, where I zapped it into high.
1974 Farm & Country 9 Apr. 11 (heading) Computers zap farmers through space-age door.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 29 May 12/4 Won't they be surprised when Ms. Klutz limberly zaps the ball over the net.
5. To demonstrate against or at.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > engage in militancy in [verb (transitive)] > demonstrate against or at
zap1972
1972 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 12 Feb. 24/1 Homosexuals..‘zap’ (confront) politicians until they express themselves..on equal housing..for homosexuals.
1980 Observer 3 Aug. 8/5 Columbia and Warner Bros. were ‘zapped’ last week; this Tuesday it's the turn of 20th Century Fox. An itinerant army of 1,000 striking actors..will parade at the old studio's grimy portals.
6. Computing. To erase or change (an item in a program).
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [verb (transitive)] > change
switch1960
patch1962
zap1982
1982 Times 14 Jan. (Information Technol. Suppl.) p. v/5 When the program is erased, the PROM is said to be ‘zapped’.
1983 80 Microcomputing Jan. 29/3 On DRS 304, RB 2C you will find the byte to be 20H. Zap this to 18H.
1983 Your Computer Sept. 86/1 Since I keep a hard copy listing of the assembly of MODEM7, the easiest thing to do was to zap the offending byte.
II. intransitive.
7. To move quickly and with vigour.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move swiftly in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > move swiftly and vigorously
zap1968
1968 Maclean's Sept. 55 Nothing is quite as sad as watching Lynn watching Lightfoot zap off out of a parking lot.
1972 Observer 27 Feb. 33/5 The well-known routine of zapping from studio to studio.
1977 Mod. Boating (Austral.) Jan. 30/3 We're zapping over Kogarah Bay with 45 miles an hour on the clock.
1981 Times 22 July 12/4 When those self-satisfied pop singers and dizzy girls from Hollywood zap in and out they are not drinking themselves silly at our expense.
1985 Times 6 Apr. 11/1 Several smaller craft zap past.
8. To use a fast-forward facility on a video recorder to go quickly through the advertisements in a recorded television programme; to switch through other channels for the duration of the advertisements when watching programmes off-air.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > record [verb (intransitive)] > use fast-forward facility
fast forward1965
zap1983
society > communication > broadcasting > putting on or producing broadcast > put on or produce broadcast [verb (intransitive)] > switch channel
switch1937
to turn over1958
zap1983
graze1986
1983 [implied in: Times 27 Oct. 8/3 The practice is known in the US as ‘zapping’. Apparently people who have remote control devices are substantially more likely..to switch over to another channel when ads come on. (at zapping n.)].
1984 Broadcast 7 Dec. 27/2 People are beginning to record the best commercial programmes on their VCRs so they can zap through the commercials.
1985 Marxism Today May 34/1 People with the technology use it to avoid commercial breaks, either by zapping through other channels or by fast-forwarding material recorded off-air.
Derivatives
zapped adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > feeling of wonder, astonishment > [adjective]
awonder1154
wonderfulc1380
astoniedc1400
marvelling?a1425
amazed1548
admirative1582
thunderstrickena1586
wondering1592
stonished1595
thunderstruck1613
dump1616
rapt1621
admired1684
astonished1716
breathless1768
unbreathing1789
agazed1803
astounded1810
obfuscated1822
struck with thunder1823
surprised1882
zapped1962
mind-blown1967
gob-struck1985
the mind > emotion > humility > humiliation > [adjective]
dejectc1528
broken1535
abased1554
come1564
downfallen1575
snubbed1583
crestfallen1589
humiliate1593
plume-plucked1597
low-broughta1599
chop-fallen1604
chap-fallen1608
dejected1608
humbleda1616
unprided1628
diminished1667
mortified1710
small1771
humiliated1782
squelched1837
grovelleda1845
sat-upon1873
comedown1886
deflated1894
zapped1962
society > authority > punishment > [adjective] > punished
punisheda1525
chasteneda1785
penalized1848
zapped1962
the world > life > death > killing > [adjective] > killed
slaina1225
mortificatea1425
killedc1440
murderedc1450
amortizeda1626
unlived1626
fallen1871
outed1919
zapped1962
society > education > educational administration > examination > [adjective] > failed
plucked1827
zapped1962
the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > [adjective] > shooting or shot
yscote1387
shot1837
zapped1962
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > [adjective] > having moved swiftly and vigorously
rapped-out1831
zapped1962
the world > movement > impact > striking > striking in specific manner > [adjective] > struck a sudden blow
zapped1962
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > [adjective] > rebuked or scolded
ychid1387
forflitten1603
chidden1609
reproved1658
rated1808
blown-up1863
objurgated1867
trounced1898
zapped1962
1962 Amer. Speech 37 71 ‘Zapped’... I first heard it in 1952 while I was an undergraduate at Brown University. The term was in vogue..to designate precisely the process by which a student..had his ‘come-uppance’ in class or on an examination.
1966 Punch 21 Dec. 911/3 Maybe truce negotiations won't be possible until the Viet Cong are zapped to the point of accepting the impossibility of military victory.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 22 May 12/4 Despite his allure, could she really endure him? But the chap's got her zapped.
1980 R. Adams Girl in Swing xix. 254 She was pale and sweating; clearly what Mr. Steinberg would call ‘zapped’.
Draft additions 1993
6. To make more powerful, exciting, etc.; to enliven, revitalize; to spice or pep up.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > excitement > pleasurable excitement > affect with pleasurable excitement [verb (transitive)] > make piquantly exciting
farcea1340
seasonc1520
spice1529
sauce?1534
salt1576
savour1578
cantharidize1812
whoosh1909
zap1979
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > seasoning > season [verb (transitive)]
savourc1384
seasonc1400
condimentc1420
powder?c1425
saucea1438
pointa1450
tastea1577
palate1610
scent1655
condite1657
zest1705
kitchen1720
dress1795
flavour1830
to zing up1953
zap1979
1979 N.Y. Times 18 May c14/4 A silky textured duck liver pâté was zapped with an overdose of brandy.
1982 Ad Day 4 Mar. 3 The account executive—ever the master of vague terms and confusing directions—tells the creatives they need to..‘zap it up’..‘beat some drums’..‘put some vitamins in it’.
1986 Family Circle May 5/2 How to find shoes, hats, accessories that zap last year's clothes to look like new.
1991 Independent 9 Nov. 43/5 Saab brought turbocharging to the mass market long before it became faddish to zap up the performance of shopping buggies by ramming air down their throats.
Draft additions December 2002
transitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). To cook (food) in a microwave oven.
ΚΠ
1975 Sunset Sept. 106 Plum sauce first... Then zap your chicken in the microwave. Chicken cooked in a microwave oven becomes tender and extremely juicy.
1978 Washington Post 5 Mar. (Mag.) 39 The corned beef was zapped to death in a microwave oven that rendered it of all its fat and turned it to stone.
1986 San Diego Union-Tribune (Nexis) 30 July 39 Fresh corn barely needs to be cooked, and I have found that the microwave does a wonderful job of preserving the flavor if you just zap it in its husk, turning it once in the process.
1998 Grocer 1 Aug. 8/2 The packaging features receptor inlays that help brown and crisp the tortillas when they are zapped in the microwave.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
zapint.
/zap/, U.S. /zæp/ slang (originally U.S.).
1. Used to represent the sound of a ray gun, laser, bullet, etc.; also figurative, expressing any sudden or dramatic event.
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the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > sudden or violent sound > [interjection]
dunt1737
zap1929
the world > time > relative time > immediacy > [interjection] > zap
zap1929
1929 P. F. Nowlan in Washington Post 7 May 16/3 Ahead of me was one of those golden dragon Mongols, with a deadly disintegrator ray... Br-r-rr-r-z-zzz-zap.
1962 Amer. Speech 37 288 The jokester, pretending to be a creature from outer space, pointed his cosmic ray gun (finger) at his friend's genitals and exclaimed, ‘Zap! You're sterile.’
1967 L. Deighton Only when I Larf (1968) xii. 160 Shouting idiotic things and going, ‘Whoop,’ ‘Zap,’ and ‘Yap,’ all the time.
1968 Maclean's Mar. 77 Bang! Zap! Pow! With laser beams and cracking doomsday machines, the deadly-serious super-heroes.
1970 Daily Tel. 15 May (Colour Suppl.) 34/4 I'm against the war in Vietnam. But I'm not among the people who say let's stop Vietnam, zap.
1971 Frendz 21 May 17/1 Getting down to a blow job, she suddenly produces a razor and zap—the man bleeding and gushing blood, is screaming on the floor.
1974 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 12 Sept. 7/2 We have been told..we needn't worry, the sections are not being enforced. Then zap, another homosexual is denied entry for being honest.
1978 Fortune 18 Dec. 101 (advt.) The solution receives a positive charge, the truck a negative charge. Zap! The primer and the GMC are joined with a magnetic-like bond.
1985 Parade Mag. 31 Mar. 9 A staff meeting will be Wick just shooting out those things one after another—zap, zap, zap.
2. zap gun n. a ray gun or the like.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > fire, radiation, or chemical weapons > [noun] > ray gun
ray gun1923
zap gun1969
1969 K. Vonnegut Slaughterhouse-Five iv. 65 Billy's will was paralyzed by a zap gun aimed at him from one of the portholes.
1976 Publishers Weekly 15 Mar. 59/1 Plot is subordinated to character exploration, but there's more adventure in that than in many a zap-gun epic.
1977 Sunday Sun (Brisbane) 30 Jan. 7/1 New York police have confiscated two space-age ‘zap’ guns from blind singer Stevie Wonder... The guns look like flashlights and fire two darts attached to 20 ft. thin copper wires.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1968
v.1942int.1929