poleaxe

Thân thiện

A butcher uses a poleaxe to fell a steer.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A medieval battle axe: A long-handled axe with a combined axe blade and a spike or hammer head, historically used as an infantry weapon.
   • A butcher's axe: A heavy axe with a hammer head opposite the blade, used for slaughtering cattle.

2. Verb:

   • To strike down or kill with a poleaxe: To fell someone or something with a heavy, decisive blow from such an axe.
   • To overwhelm utterly: To figuratively strike someone with such force or shock that they are stunned or incapacitated.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The museum displayed a 15th-century knight's poleaxe.
  • The butcher used a heavy poleaxe for the slaughter.

• Verb:

  • The knight was poleaxed by a single blow to his helmet.
  • She was poleaxed by the sudden, tragic news.

Advanced Usage

• "to be poleaxed": To be completely stunned, shocked, or overwhelmed, often emotionally.
  • The audience was poleaxed by the plot twist in the final act.

Variants and Related Words

• Poleax (noun, verb): An alternative, less common spelling of "poleaxe".
• Pole-axe (noun, verb): A hyphenated variant spelling.

Synonyms

• Noun (weapon): Battleaxe, halberd (a similar long-handled weapon).
• Verb (to fell): Strike down, fell, slaughter.
• Verb (to stun): Stagger, stupefy, dumbfound, devastate.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

(This word is not commonly used in specific idioms beyond its figurative verb form.)

Học thuật

Noun

1. a battle ax used in the Middle Ages; a long handled ax and a pick
2. an ax used to slaughter cattle; has a hammer opposite the blade

Verb

1. fell with or as if with a poleax

Từ đồng nghĩa

• poleax