whammy

- 3 dictionary results

wham⋅my

[hwam-ee, wam-ee]

–noun, plural -mies. Informal.

1.	the evil eye; jinx.

2.	bad luck or misfortune.

3.	a devastating blow, setback, or catastrophe: The drought and the high price of fertilizer are a double whammy to farmers.

—Idiom

put the whammy on,

a.	to give the evil eye to; jinx.

b.	to destroy, end, or eradicate: New controls will put the whammy on irresponsible spending.

Origin:
1935–40; wham + -y ² , one of the methods of putting a whammy on someone being to strike the fist into the palm

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To whammy

Digitech
Buy Digitech Music Equipment Free Shipping on 1000's of Items!

GuitarCenter.com

Game
Find Game Online. See This Week's Featured Products

www.Target.com

wham·my (hwām'ē, wām'ē)

n. pl. wham·mies Slang

A supernatural spell for subduing an adversary; a hex: put the whammy on someone.
A serious or devastating setback: "The triple whammy: government cuts, declining corporate giving, and less favorable tax laws" (New York Times).

[Perhaps from wham.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Word Origin & History

whammy

often double whammy, "hex, evil eye," 1932, of unknown origin, popularized 1941 in Al Capp's comic strip "Li'l Abner."

Search another word or see whammy on Thesaurus | Reference

Play Free Online Games?
Want to Play Great Games for Free? Play 1000's of Games Online

www.A10.com/Online_Games

»Podcast
»School gear

»Style guide
»Literary terms

Facebook TwitterFollow us:

About
·
Privacy Policy
·
Terms of Use
·
Careers
·
Advertise with Us
·
Link to Us
·
Contact Us

Partner Sites:

Ask Answers Evite Expedia Hotels Hotwire Life123 LiveDaily My Way