Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A supernatural spell for subduing an adversary; a hex.
  • noun A serious or devastating setback.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a serious or devastating setback
  • noun an evil spell; a curse or hex

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an evil spell
  • noun a serious or devastating setback

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Perhaps from wham.]

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Examples

  • But what seems to be a double whammy is that with Social Networks is if you want you can be anonymous and reach out and make a new connection.

    Changing Direction. « The Paradigm Shift 2007

  • This time it's a double whammy from a single family, with Federal Housing Finance Board Chairman John T. Korsmo and his wife Michelle, who has worked as deputy chief of staff to Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, coming under fire from the Justice Deparment for obstruction of justice in an investigation of campaign finance irregularities.

    Speaking of lists... 2004

  • This time it's a double whammy from a single family, with Federal Housing Finance Board Chairman John T. Korsmo and his wife Michelle, who has worked as deputy chief of staff to Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, coming under fire from the Justice Deparment for obstruction of justice in an investigation of campaign finance irregularities.

    United we stand... 2004

  • This time it's a double whammy from a single family, with Federal Housing Finance Board Chairman John T. Korsmo and his wife Michelle, who has worked as deputy chief of staff to Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, coming under fire from the Justice Deparment for obstruction of justice in an investigation of campaign finance irregularities.

    Archive 2004-02-01 2004

  • So older people who skimp on protein really get a double whammy, which is why they are often vitamin B12 deficient.

    Are we meat eaters or vegetarians? Part I | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. 2009

  • REED: Yes, I think it's such an emotional whammy, which is why, you know, you can forgive the mayor for saying, oh, come on, let's come back in, despite what we just saw on TV.

    CNN Transcript Sep 26, 2005 2005

  • In the first show, for example, Dyrdek asks Chanel "West Coast" what comes to mind when she hears the term "double whammy."

    SFGate: Top News Stories Chronicle dwiegand@sfchronicle.com (David Wiegand 2011

  • As an expression for an evil influence or hex, a "whammy" was added to the vernacular in 1941 when a boxing manager said a "double whammy" was the only way African-American boxer Joe Lewis was ever to be knocked out.

    The Triple Whammy of Bigotry in the 2008 Election 2008

  • I use the "whammy" setting (Pd for Zoom users) of my GFX-1 to do the dives/reverse dives.

    TALK @ PhilMusic.com - The Online Home of the Pinoy Musician 2010

  • Wrigley had either seen a professional wrestling match or read about one in which a wrestler used an assistant to cast spells and hexes or otherwise put a 'whammy' on his opponent.

    Beachwood Reporter 2010

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