whaling
Definition
Noun:
- The activity or industry of hunting and killing whales: "whaling" refers to the practice of catching whales for their meat, oil, blubber, or other products. This is the primary and most common meaning.
Adjective (rare, informal):
- Very large or great: Used in slang or dialect to mean "extremely" or "huge," as in "a whaling big fish." This usage is non-standard and largely obsolete.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The history of whaling in the 19th century was brutal and economically significant. (The industry of hunting whales.)
- Many countries have now banned commercial whaling to protect whale populations. (The activity of hunting whales for profit.)
Advanced Usage
"to go whaling": to engage in the activity of hunting whales.
- The crew prepared to go whaling in the Arctic waters. (They set out to hunt whales.)
"whaling ship": a vessel designed for hunting and processing whales.
- The whaling ship was equipped with harpoons and tryworks for rendering blubber. (A ship used in the whaling industry.)
Variants and Related Words
Whaler (n): a person or ship engaged in whaling.
- The whaler spent months at sea. (The person who hunts whales or the ship used for whaling.)
Whale (n): the large marine mammal that is the object of whaling.
- The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth. (The animal itself.)
Synonyms
- Whale hunting: the direct synonym for the activity.
- Cetacean harvesting: a more technical or euphemistic term for killing whales.
Phrasal Verbs
- None directly related to "whaling." The word is not used in phrasal verb constructions in standard English.
Related Idioms
"There she blows!": An exclamation used by whalers upon sighting a whale's spout.
- The lookout shouted, "There she blows!" and the chase began. (A signal to start whaling.)
"A whale of a time": An idiom meaning a very enjoyable time. (Note: This uses "whale," not "whaling.")
- We had a whale of a time at the party. (We had great fun.)