body blow

[ bod-ee bloh ]

noun
  1. Boxing. a blow driven to the opponent's body between the breastbone and the navel.

  2. any action that causes severe damage, losses, etc.: Our business received a body blow in the recession.

Origin of body blow

1
First recorded in 1785–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for body blow

body blow

noun
  1. Also called: body punch boxing a blow to the body of an opponent

  2. a severe disappointment or setback: unavailability of funds was a body blow to the project

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with body blow

body blow

An action that causes severe damage, as in This last recession dealt a body blow to our whole industry. This term comes from boxing, where since the 18th century it has been used to refer to a punch that is landing between the opponent's chest and navel. [c. 1900]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.