whale on
English
Etymology
See whale (“to beat vigorously or soundly”).
Verb
- (slang) To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight.
- 1962, Norman Mailer, The Death of Benny Paret:
- If he had been able to break loose from his handlers and the referee, he would have jumped Paret to the floor and whaled on him there.
- 2000, Joseph Di Prisco, Confessions of Brother Eli, page 320:
- Philip was whaling on O, who was whaling on Slater, who was whaling on Genesius, who was whaling on Philip. Blood, spittle, and curses were flying.
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- (slang) To beat heavily on anything.
- The wrench wouldn’t budge, even though Tony was just whaling on it with a big old sledge hammer.
- 1999, Stephen King, Bag of Bones:
- Standing at the front, wearing a guitar and whaling on it as she sang, was Sara Tidwell.
References
- whale on at OneLook Dictionary Search
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