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| whale [ wayl, hwayl ] (past and past participle whaled, present participle whal·ing, 3rd person present singular whales) |
verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive verb thrash somebody: to beat somebody severely as a punishment
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2. transitive verb hit something forcefully: to hit or strike somebody or something with great force
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3. intransitive verb U.S. be highly critical: to be critical of somebody or something in a severe way
(
informal
)
  whaling away at her detractors
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4. transitive verb defeat somebody convincingly: to defeat somebody soundly or completely
(
informal
)
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| [Late 18th century. Origin ?] |
