whack
/wak
/informal
verb
1 [with object] Strike forcefully with a sharp blow: his attacker whacked him on the head [no object]: she found a stick to whack at the branches...
- Players use their own clubs to whack at the golf ball, which swings around and lands in the net.
- So I finally got my sharp arts-and-crafts scissors and whacked a good few inches off, and now it comes to just below my chin.
- He and Gin found a perfect tree and began to whack at it with their axes.
Synonyms
hit, beat, strike, punch, knock, rap, smack, slap, thump, thwack, crack, cudgel, thrash, bang, drub, welt, cuff, buffet, pummel, box someone's ears
informal bash, clobber, clout, clip, wallop, belt, tan, biff, bop, lay into, pitch into, lace into, let someone have it, knock into the middle of next week, sock, lam, whomp
British informal stick one on, slosh
North American informal boff, bust, slug, light into, whale
Australian/New Zealand informal dong, quilt
literary smite, swinge
1.1Defeat in a contest: [with object and complement]: the team were whacked six-nil...
- People have a spring in their step, are laughing and chatting, buoyed up with the knowledge that their team whacked Glenn Hoddle's Tottenham Hotspur between the eyes twice last week.
- The work paid off when Butcher crept back in the England team for the 2001 Ashes series, then whacked the greatest team in cricket around Headingley for 173 unbeaten runs.
- On the following week Dundalk came to Kilcohan Park to be whacked 5-1 with Afie Hale recording a hat-trick and John O'Neill getting two more.
1.2 [with object and adverbial] Put or push (something) roughly or carelessly in a specified place or direction: he whacks a tape into the cassette recorder...
- He also whacked a shot for which Marshall stretched to push on to the crossbar, although referee Doug Somers missed the contact and failed to award a corner kick.
- I pushed it onto the floor and whacked it (both in the literal and in the Mafia sense) with a piece of cardboard.
- A Hearts move broke down when Marshall scooped up a cross, and the goalkeeper saw space at the other end of the field and whacked a clearance for Craig Dargo.
1.3North American Murder: he was whacked while sitting in his car...
- The ‘Ice-Pick Murderer’ had whacked anyone Kay asked him to and hurt anyone else that he hadn't managed to kill.
- For those of you keeping score, this is the casino boat company in which one of Abramoff's co-owners was later whacked in a gangland style hit after the things started to go South.
noun
1A sharp or resounding blow: with a few whacks and some loud whistles, they drove the animals away...
- Our teachers are very supportive. If by chance we start dreaming in class, we get a sharp whack on our knuckles to bring us back to the real world.
- For dogs of moderate aggressiveness, a sharp whack on the snout with a drumstick is usually enough.
- Resounding whack between his shoulder blades, which had him choking on his mouthful of beer.
Synonyms
blow, hit, punch, thump, thwack, crack, smack, slap, bang, welt, cuff, box
informal bash, clobber, clout, clip, wallop, belt, biff, bop, sock, lam, whomp
British informal slosh
North American informal boff, bust, slug, whale
Australian/New Zealand informal dong
dated buffet
2A try or attempt: we decided to take a whack at spotting the decade’s trends...
- I guess to be fair, I should take a whack at it myself.
- I thought you and your readers might take a whack at something that has always nagged at me.
- I'll just loosen my girdle and take a whack at it.
3British A specified share of or contribution to something: motorists pay a fair whack for the use of the roads through taxes...
- He simply made a whack of money selling shares in Iona.
- There should still be a fair whack of private equity cash left over for young, high-growth companies - particularly those that have got past the initial investment stage.
- They saw it as a pot of money, so all they had to do was nominate some centres that they might call growth centres, and they'd get a whack of money out of the Federal government.
4North American A large quantity or amount.
Synonyms
share, quota, portion, slice, part, allocation, ration, allowance, allotment, amount, quantity, bit, piece, percentage, proportion, section, segment, division, fraction, measure, due
informal cut, piece/slice of the cake, piece of the action, rake-off
British informal divvy
rare apportionment, quantum, moiety
Phrases
out of whack
top (or full) whack
Phrasal verbs
whack off
Origin
Early 18th century: imitative, or perhaps an alteration of thwack.