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sockdolager

[sok-dol-uh-jer] Origin

sock·dol·a·ger

[sok-dol-uh-jer]
noun Older Slang.
1.
something unusually large, heavy, etc.
2.
a decisive reply, argument, etc.
3.
a heavy, finishing blow: His right jab is a real sockdolager.

Origin:
1820–30, Americanism; sock2 + -dolager, of uncertain origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To sockdolager

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Sockdolager is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Collins
World English Dictionary
sockdologer or sockdolager (sɒkˈdɒlədʒə)
 
n
1.  a decisive blow or remark
2.  an outstanding person or thing
 
[C19: of uncertain origin; perhaps from sock² + doxology (in the sense: the closing act of a church service) + -er1]
 
sockdolager or sockdolager
 
n
 
[C19: of uncertain origin; perhaps from sock² + doxology (in the sense: the closing act of a church service) + -er1]

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

sockdolager
1830, "a decisive blow," fanciful formation from sock (v.) "hit hard;" also said to be a variant of doxology, on a notion of "finality." The meaning "something exceptional" is attested from 1838. Sockdologising was nearly the last word President
EXPAND
Abraham Lincoln heard. During the performance of Tom Taylor's "Our American Cousin," assassin John Wilkes Booth (who knew the play well) waited for the line "Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, you sockdologising old man-trap," and as the audience laughed, Booth fired the fatal shot.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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