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whiz

 [hwiz, wiz]   Origin

whiz

1   [hwiz, wiz] verb, whizzed, whiz·zing, noun
verb (used without object)
1.
to make a humming, buzzing, or hissing sound, as an object passing swiftly through the air.
2.
to move or rush with such a sound: The angry hornets whizzed by in a cloud.
verb (used with object)
3.
to cause to whiz.
4.
to treat with a whizzer.

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Whiz is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
noun
5.
Informal. a person who is quite good at a particular activity, in a certain field, etc.: She's a whiz at math.
6.
the sound of a whizzing object.
7.
a swift movement producing such a sound.
Also, whizz.

Origin:
1540–50; imitative; compare fizz

Related forms
whiz·zing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged

whiz

2   [hwiz, wiz]
noun
wizard (def. 3).
Origin:
by shortening
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To whiz
Collins
World English Dictionary
whizz or whiz (wɪz)
 
—vb , whizzes, whizzing, whizzed
1.  to make or cause to make a loud humming or buzzing sound
2.  to move or cause to move with such a sound
3.  informal (intr) to move or go rapidly
 
—n
4.  a loud humming or buzzing sound
5.  informal a person who is extremely skilful at some activity
6.  a slang word for amphetamine
7.  informal (US) take a whizz to urinate
 
[C16: of imitative origin]
 
whiz or whiz
 
—vb
 
—n
 
[C16: of imitative origin]

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

whiz
"clever person," 1914, probably a special use of whiz "something remarkable" (1908), an extended sense of whizz; or perhaps a shortened form of wizard. Noun phrase whiz kid is from 1930s, a take-off on a radio show's quiz kid.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

whiz definition


  1. n.
    a talented or skilled person. : She's a real whiz with stats.
  2. in.
    to urinate. (Usually objectionable.) : I gotta stop here and whiz.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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