whacking — ozdic

Definitions

adj

1

Exceptionally large; whopping (often followed by an adjective such as great or big).

1762, Thomas Bridges, A Burlesque Translation of Homer, London: S. Hooper, 1772, Book 7 of Homer’s Iliad, p. 289, […] all our grannies tell us how He kill’d a whacking great dun cow;

1819, Olivia Clarke, The Irishwoman. A Comedy in Five Acts, London: H. Colburn, Act V, Scene 2, p. 80, […] these two whacking Irish boys, that I was telling you of just now, are posted at the hall door to seize the villain, and take him to pay his respects to the next sitting magistrate […]

noun

1

A beating.

2

Alternative form of waacking (“dance style”).

Collocations

4

ADJ.

big, great, irish

VERB + WHACKING

heard, kill

WHACKING + NOUN

boys, cow, man, thief

PREP.

on

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the act of inflicting corporal punishment with repeated blow

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

5

01

1762, Thomas Bridges, A Burlesque Translation of Homer, London: S. Hooper, 1772, Book 7 of Homer’s Iliad, p. 289, […] all our grannies tell us how He kill’d a whacking great dun cow;

Wiktionary

02

1819, Olivia Clarke, The Irishwoman. A Comedy in Five Acts, London: H. Colburn, Act V, Scene 2, p. 80, […] these two whacking Irish boys, that I was telling you of just now, are posted at the hall doo

Wiktionary

03

[…] beside them clung a trumpeter, a whacking big man, an’ between the heavy seas he would lift his trumpet with one hand, and blow a call; and every time he blew the men gave a cheer.

Wiktionary

04

A little old woman foiled the robbery by whacking the thief on the head with her cane.

Tatoeba · #715774

05

Gustavo heard a whacking sound.

Tatoeba · #11769928

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, whacking is marked as informal. Watch for register when choosing this word.