whammy

Thân thiện

He put the whammy on me with a pointed finger and a mischievous grin.

Definition

Noun: 1. An evil spell or curse: A supernatural influence believed to bring bad luck or misfortune. 2. A serious or devastating setback: A powerful, often unexpected, piece of bad luck or a damaging event.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Evil Spell):
  • The old legend says the witch placed a whammy on the village well.
  • He joked that his rival had put the whammy on him before the big game.
• Noun (Serious Setback):
  • The sudden loss of funding was a real whammy for the research project.
  • First the car broke down, and then the flight was canceled—it was a double whammy of bad luck.

Advanced Usage

• "to put the whammy on (someone/something)": To jinx or curse someone or something; to cause bad luck for them.
  • Don't say we're going to win! You'll put the whammy on the team.
• "double whammy": A very common idiom meaning two serious setbacks or pieces of bad luck happening at the same time or in quick succession.
  • The storm was a double whammy: it caused both flooding and a major power outage.

Variants and Related Words

• Wham (verb/noun): To hit or strike something forcefully. While related in sound and sense of impact, "wham" is not supernatural.
  • The door slammed shut with a loud wham.

Synonyms

• Jinx: A person or thing that brings bad luck.
• Curse: A solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm.
• Hex: A magic spell, typically an evil one.
• Setback: A reversal or check in progress.

Related Idioms

• Double whammy: As defined in Advanced Usage.
• Triple whammy: (Less common) Three serious setbacks occurring together.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an evil spell
   • a witch put a curse on his whole family
   • he put the whammy on me
2. a serious or devastating setback

Từ đồng nghĩa

• hex
• jinx
• curse