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| maul [ mawl ] |
transitive verb (past and past participle mauled, present participle maul·ing, 3rd person present singular mauls) |
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| Definition: |
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1. assault somebody: to beat, batter, or tear at a person or animal
  He got mauled in the ring by a better boxer.
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2. handle somebody or something roughly: to handle somebody or something too roughly or clumsily
Children may need to be taught not to maul their pets.
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3. criticize somebody or something fiercely: to criticize somebody or something severely or mercilessly
Despite being a box-office success, her new movie was mauled by the critics.
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4. split wood: to split wood using a large heavy hammer and a wedge
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noun (plural mauls) |
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| Definition: |
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1. pile-driving hammer: a large heavy hammer, usually with a wooden head, used for driving in piles, stakes, or wedges
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2. log-splitting hammer: a heavy hammer that has one side of the head shaped like a wedge, making it suitable for splitting logs or wood
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| [13th century. < French mail "hammer" < Latin malleus] |
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| maul·er noun |
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