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punch

[puhnch]

Origin

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noun

a thrusting blow, especially with the fist.

forcefulness, effectiveness, or pungency in content or appeal; power; zest: a letter to voters that needs more punch.

verb (used with object)

to give a sharp thrust or blow to, especially with the fist.

Western U.S. and Western Canada. to drive (cattle).

to poke or prod, as with a stick.

Informal. to deliver (lines in a play, a musical passage, or the like) with vigor.

to strike or hit in operating: to punch the typewriter keys.

EXPAND

to put into operation with or as if with a blow: to punch a time clock.

Baseball. to hit (the ball) with a short, chopping motion rather than with a full swing: He punched a soft liner just over third base for a base hit.

COLLAPSE

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Punch is one of our favorite verbs.

So is absquatulate. Does it mean:

to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.

to flee; abscond:

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verb (used without object)

10.

to give a sharp blow to a person or thing, as with the fist: The boxer punches well.

Verb phrases

11.

punch away, Informal. to keep trying or working, especially in difficult or discouraging circumstances; persevere: punching away at the same old job.

12.

punch in,

to record one's time of arrival at work by punching a time clock.

to keyboard (information) into a computer: to punch in the inventory figures.

13.

punch out,

to record one's time of departure from work by punching a time clock.

Slang. to beat up or knock out with the fists.

to extract (information) from a computer by the use of a keyboard: to punch out data on last week's sales.

to bail out; eject from an aircraft.

14.

punch up,

to call up (information) on a computer by the use of a keyboard: to punch up a list of hotel reservations.

Informal. to enliven, as with fresh ideas or additional material: You'd better punch up that speech with a few jokes.

Idioms

15.

pull punches,

to lessen deliberately the force of one's blows.

Informal. to act with restraint or hold back the full force or implications of something: He wasn't going to pull any punches when he warned them of what they would be up against.

16.

roll with the punches, Informal. to cope with and survive adversity: In the business world you quickly learn to roll with the punches.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English punchen (v.); apparently variant of pounce¹

Related forms

punch·er, noun

Synonyms
3. strike, hit; drub, pummel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

a tool or machine for perforating or stamping materials, driving nails, etc.

the solid upper die of a punch press, used with a hollow die to blank out shaped pieces of sheet metal or the like.

verb (used with object)

to cut, stamp, pierce, perforate, form, or drive with a tool or machine that punches.

verb (used without object)

to work at or on something with or as if with a mechanical punch.

Origin:
1495–1505; short for puncheon², reinforced by punch¹

Related forms

punch·a·ble, adjective

noun

a beverage consisting of wine or spirits mixed with fruit juice, soda, water, milk, or the like, and flavored with sugar, spices, etc.

a beverage of two or more fruit juices, sugar, and water, sometimes carbonated.

Origin:
1625–35; of uncertain origin

noun

the chief male character in a Punch-and-Judy show.

Idiom

pleased as Punch, highly pleased; delighted: They were pleased as Punch at having been asked to come along.

Origin:
short for punchinello

Link To punch

Collins

World English Dictionary

punch¹ (pʌntʃ)

—vb
1.	to strike blows (at), esp with a clenched fist
2.	(Western US) (tr) to herd or drive (cattle), esp for a living
3.	(tr) to poke or prod with a stick or similar object
4.	punch above one's weight to do something that is considered to be beyond one's ability

—n
5.	a blow with the fist
6.	informal telling force, point, or vigour: his arguments lacked punch
7.	pull one's punches See pull

[C15: perhaps a variant of pounce²]

'puncher¹

—n

punch² (pʌntʃ)

—n
1.	a tool or machine for piercing holes in a material
2.	any of various tools used for knocking a bolt, rivet, etc, out of a hole
3.	a tool or machine used for stamping a design on something or shaping it by impact
4.	the solid die of a punching machine for cutting, stamping, or shaping material
5.	computing a device, such as a card punch or tape punch, used for making holes in a card or paper tape
6.	See centre punch

—vb
7.	(tr) to pierce, cut, stamp, shape, or drive with a punch

[C14: shortened from puncheon, from Old French ponçon; see puncheon²]

punch³ (pʌntʃ)

—n
	any mixed drink containing fruit juice and, usually, alcoholic liquor, generally hot and spiced

[C17: perhaps from Hindi pānch, from Sanskrit pañca five; the beverage originally included five ingredients]

Punch (pʌntʃ)

—n
	the main character in the traditional children's puppet show Punch and Judy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

punch

"to drive (cattle, etc.) by poking and prodding," c.1382, from O.Fr. ponchonner "to punch, prick, stamp," from ponchon "pointed tool, piercing weapon" (see punch (n.1)). Meaning "to stab, puncture" is from c.1440. Specific meaning of "to hit with the fist" first recorded 1530,

EXPAND

probably influenced by punish; noun sense of "a blow with the fist" is recorded by 1580. Noun in the figurative sense of "forceful, vigorous quality" is recorded from 1911. To beat (someone) to the punch is from 1923, a metaphor from boxing. Punch line is from 1921; punch-drunk is from 1915. To punch a ticket, etc., is c.1440, probably from a shortening of puncheon "pointed tool," from O.Fr. ponchon.

punch

"pointed tool," c.1460, short for puncheon (1367), from O.Fr. ponchon "pointed tool, piercing weapon," from V.L. *punctionem (nom. punctio) "pointed tool," from L. punctus, pp. of pungere "to prick" (see pungent). Meaning "machine for pressing or stamping a die" is from 1628.

punch

"mixed drink," 1632, traditionally said to derive from Hindi panch "five," in allusion to the number of original ingredients (spirits, water, lemon juice, sugar, spice), from Skt. panchan-s.

COLLAPSE

Punch

the puppet show star, 1709, shortening of Punchinello (1666), from It. (Neapolitan) Pollecinella, dim. of pollecena "turkey pullet," probably in allusion to his big nose. The phrase pleased as punch apparently refers to his unfailing triumph over enemies. The comic weekly of this name was published in

EXPAND

London from 1841.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

punch

In addition to the idioms beginning with punch, also see beat to it (the punch); can't punch one's way out of a paper bag; pack a punch; pleased as punch; pull no punches; roll with the punches; sucker punch; throw a punch.

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