backhander
n. a backhand slap in the face.Then she gave me a powerful backhander without even looking to see who I was.Yes, officer, a perfectly strange woman came up and clobbered me with a backhander that loosened a tooth.
beat someone's brains out
tr. to beat someone severely.She threatened to beat my brains out.Those thugs nearly beat his brains out.
belt
1.
n. a blow with the fist or hand.
Quiet or I'll give you a belt in the chops.I got a belt in the gut for my trouble.
2.
tr. to strike someone.
Quiet or I'll belt you one!Don't belt me!
biff
1.
tr. to hit someone.
Tom biffed Fred on the snoot.Fred got biffed, and that really made him mad.
2.
n. a blow.
The biff on the nose gave Fred a nosebleed.Tom got a biff in the gut for his trouble.
blast
tr. to shoot someone with a gun.The speeding car drove by, and somebody tried to blast him with a machine gun.The cops blasted the crook till there was nothing left.
blitz
1.
n. a devastating attack.
After that blitz from the boss, you must feel sort of shaken.That's my second blitz this week. I feel like London.
2.
tr. to attack and defeat someone or something.
Two of your friends came by and blitzed my refrigerator.The team from downstate blitzed our local team for the third year in a row.
blood bath
n. a battle; a great decimation.What a blood bath! The whole town collapsed after the bank failed.There was a blood bath at the office when the manager fired twenty people.
boff
tr. to punch someone.I was afraid she was going to boff me.Ted boffed Harry playfully.
bonk
tr. to strike someone on the head.I bonked John on the head.He wouldn't move, so I bonked him.
burn
tr. to shoot someone. (Underworld.)He burned the guy with a pistol, but it didn't stop him.Hold it! I've burned one guy tonight, and I ain't afraid of puttin' a hole through you.
bust someone one
tr. to punch someone; to give someone a punch, probably in the face.You better shut up, or I'll bust you one!You want me to bust you one? I will if you do that again.
clobber
tr. to strike someone; to beat someone; to outscore someone.I ought to clobber you, but good.She clobbered him over the head with her bouquet.
coldcock
tr. to knock someone out.The guy who called Max out wanted to coldcock him for shorting him, but got coldcocked himself.The clerk coldcocked the would-be robber with a champagne bottle.
crown
tr. to hit someone on the head.The clerk crowned the robber with a champagne bottle.The bride, at the end of her patience, crowned the stuttering cleric with her bouquet, shouted “I do,” and began kissing the groom.
deck
tr. to knock someone to the ground.Fred decked Bob with one blow.I was so mad I almost decked him.
donnybrook
n. a big argument; a brawl.There was a big donnybrook at the concert, and the police were called.Who started this donnybrook?
drop
tr. to knock someone down.Jim dropped Willard with a punch to the shoulder.The swinging board hit him and dropped him.
drop someone
tr. to knock someone down; to punch and knock down a person.Fred dropped Bruno with one punch to the jaw.Max lost his cool and dropped Bruno.
duke someone out
tr. to knock someone out.Wilbur tried to duke the guy out first.Bob duked out the mugger with a jab to the cheek.
dust someone off
tr. to give someone a good pounding or beating.Bruno threatened to dust Max off.Bob dusted off Larry; then he started for Tom.
dust-up
n. a fight.Max got in a dustup with Bruno.There was a dust-up at the party that ruined the evening for everyone.
enforcer
n. a bully; a thug or bodyguard.Bruno is the perfect enforcer. Meaner than all get out.Rocko is too tender-hearted to be a good enforcer.
fag-bashing
n. doing violence to homosexuals. (Potentially offensive. Use only with discretion.)Those bums get some kind of pleasure out of fag-bashing.What's this strange need you have for fagbashing? What's your problem?
fish-fight
n. a fight between females.There's a fish-fight over by the biology building.Those fish-fights can get brutal.
flatten
tr. to knock someone down with a blow.Max flattened the kid with a jab to the nose.Wilbur will flatten his opponent.
floored
mod. knocked to the floor by a blow.Wilbur was floored by his opponent.The guy was floored and didn't move a muscle—ever again.
free for all and free-for-all
n. a brawl; a general fight.A free for all started on the beach over near the concession stand.The cops broke up the free-forall.
gang-bang
tr. & in. to gang up on someone or something.They looked like they were going to gang-bang me.They're always gang-banging. The punks!
going over
n. a beating.Bruno gave the guy a terrible going over.After a going over like that, the guy spent two weeks in the hospital.
hit
tr. to attack or rob someone or something. (Underworld.)Lefty and his gang hit the bank for the second time.Can you believe that they tried to hit a block party on Fourth Street?
joog
tr. to stab someone. (Prisons.)Lefty jooged the screw.Man, who'd you joog?
knocked up
mod. battered; beaten.Sally was a little knocked up by the accident.This book is a little knocked up, so I'll lower the price.
knock someone's block off
tr. to hit someone hard in the head.Wilbur almost knocked Tom's block off by accident.He threatened to knock my block off if I didn't do as I was told.
knuckle sandwich
n. a blow struck in the teeth or mouth.How would you like a knuckle sandwich?He threatened to give me a knuckle sandwich.
laid out
mod. knocked down (by a punch).He was down, laid out, and the cowboy just stood there panting.There he was, laid out on the sidewalk, and no one made a move to help him.
land a blow
tr. to strike someone.He kept moving, and I found it almost impossible to land a blow.The boxer landed a blow to the face of his opponent.
lay someone out
tr. to knock someone down with a punch.I can't wait to get into that ring and lay the guy out.The boxer laid out his opponent with a blow to the head.
make hamburger out of someone or something and make mincemeat out of someone or something
tr. to beat someone or something to a pulp; to destroy someone or something.The puppy made mincemeat out of my paper.They threatened to make hamburger out of me.
mess someone's face up
tr. to beat someone around the face. (Underworld.)I had to mess his face up a little, boss, but he's been real cooperative since then.You want me to mess up your face, or do you want to come along quietly?
mess someone up
tr. to beat someone up. (Underworld.)The boss says me and the boys is supposed to mess you up a little.Is that your job—going around messing up people?
mop the floor up with someone and wipe the floor up with someone
tr. to beat someone to a pulp. (Also with other verbs: clean, dust, etc.)One more crack like that, and I'll have Bruno wipe the floor up with you.Bruno's job is ing up the floor with people who don't wipe off their feet before coming in.
old one-two
n. a series of two punches delivered quickly, one after another. (Always with the.)Tom gave Bill the old one-two, and the argument was ended right there.Watch out for Tom. He's a master of the old one-two.
paste
tr. to strike someone, especially in the face.I hauled off and pasted him right in the face.He tried to paste me, but I ducked.
paste someone one
tr. to land a blow on someone.I pasted him one right on the nose.Next time you do that, I'll paste you one!
pin someone's ears back
tr. to beat someone, especially about the head.Lefty says I'm supposed to pin your ears back.You do something like that again, and I'll pin your ears back.
plant
tr. to strike a blow (to a particular place on someone).I planted one right on his nose.The boxer planted a good blow on his opponent's shoulder.
pop
tr. to hit or strike someone.Please don't pop me again.She popped him lightly on the shoulder.
pound someone's head in
tr. to beat someone.Talk nice to him, or he'll pound your head in.I was afraid that the cop was going to pound my head in.
punch someone out
tr. to knock someone out.He threatened to punch me out.The thug punched out the cop and ran down an alley.
punch someone's lights out
tr. to knock someone out; to close someone's eyes with a hard blow.Shut up, or I'll punch your lights out.He threatened to punch my lights out.You want me to punch out your lights?
put someone away
tr. to knock someone unconscious.One tap on the head and I put him away.The cowboy slugged the rancher in the jaw and put him away for a while.
rabbit punch
n. a quick little punch. (Boxing and general slang.)That couldn't have hurt you! It was just a little rabbit punch.She battered him with about forty rabbit punches on the arm. Boy, is he ever sore!
rhubarb
n. a brawl, especially in a baseball game.There's a noisy rhubarb down on the field.Ted got punched around a little bit in that rhubarb last week.
rough someone up
tr. to beat someone up; to maltreat someone.Am I going to have to rough you up, or will you cooperate?The crooks roughed up the old lady before taking her purse.
rough stuff
n. unnecessary roughness; physical violence or threats of violence.Okay, let's cut out the rough stuff!There was too much rough stuff in Friday's game.
roundhouse punch
n. a punch to the head made by swinging the arm in an arc rather than by a jabbing punch.Jim knocked Ted down with a roundhouse punch.He let him have a roundhouse punch that would have cracked a two-byfour.
rumble
1.
in. to fight.
The gangs are rumbling over on Fourth Street.We're going to rumble tomorrow night.
2.
n. a fight; a street fight; a gang fight.
If there is a rumble, get out of there fast.My brother was hurt in a gang rumble.
rump
tr. to flog someone on the buttocks.They rumped him and made him run around the frat house.I'm going to get rumped when my dad gets home.
shellacking
n. a beating.We gave them a shellacking they'll never forget.Our team took a real shellacking.
shiv and chiv
tr. to stab someone. (Underworld.)He shivved Rocko, and Rocko deserved it.The boss told Bruno to get Rocko one way or the other—chiv him, burn him, clobber him—but get him.
shoot-out
n. a gunfight.There was a big shoot-out at the end of the movie.In this shoot-out, there were no survivors— not even a horse!
slugfest
n. a fight; a festival of slugging.They went out in the alley for a real slugfest.You wanna see a slugfest, just stick around.
slug it out
tr. to fight something out; to fight about something figuratively.They finally went outside to slug it out.We'll just have to sit down in the conference room and slug it out.
smell blood
tr. to be ready for a fight; to be ready to attack; to be ready to act. (Like sharks, which are sent into a frenzy by the smell of blood.)Lefty was surrounded, and you could tell that the guys from the other gang smelled blood.The lawyer heard the crash and came running—smelling blood and bucks.
sock
tr. to punch someone or something.Wally was so mad, he tried to sock Paul.He socked the door with his fist and began to howl with pain.
Sunday punch
n. a very solid and destructive blow; one's best blow.Barlowe sent a Sunday punch straight into Rocko's gut. Rocko's eyes bugged out; then he crumpled to the floor and wretched.Ralph aimed a Sunday punch at Frederick's nose, but missed and spun about, striking his elbow on the banister.
swipe
n. a blow or an act of striking someone or something.Bob got a nasty swipe across the face.The cat gave the mouse a swipe with its paw.
take a beating
tr. to be beaten, bested, or defeated.The candidate took a beating in the runoffs.The team took quite a beating.
take a pop at someone
tr. to punch at someone.Bruno took a pop at me, but I ducked.The drunk took a pop at the cop—which was the wrong thing to do.
take a swipe at someone or something
tr. to poke at someone or something.Max took a swipe at Bruno.The cat took a swipe at the ball.
take a whack at someone or something
tr. to hit at someone or something.Wilbur took a whack at Martin and missed.Jerry got an ax and took a whack at the tree, but didn't do much damage.
take someone or something apart
tr. to beat or damage someone or something.The mugger really took the old lady apart.The wreck took both cars apart.
tear someone or something up
tr. to rip someone or something to pieces.The two drunks tore the bar up the best they could.The dog tore up the robber, and the robber sued.
throw a punch
tr. to jab; to punch.She tried to throw a punch at me, but I blocked it.Wilbur threw a punch at the thug.
trigger-happy
mod. eager to fire a gun; eager to shoot someone or something.Rocko is sort of trigger-happy. Watch out.Ask your trigger-happy hunters to be careful this year.
wallop
1.
n. a hard blow.
She planted a hard wallop on his right shoulder.I got quite a wallop when I walked into the door.
2.
tr. to strike someone or something hard.
I walloped him hard on the shoulder, but he kept on laughing.The door swung open and walloped me in the back.
wax
tr. to beat or defeat someone; to assault someone.Those guys look like they're gonna wax us but good.The muggers waxed the vest and swiped his briefcase.
whack and wack
1.
tr. to strike someone or something.
Jed whacked the kid upside the head.Larry reached down and wacked the dog across the snout.
2.
n. a blow or hit (at someone or something).
She tried to take a whack at me!She landed a nasty wack on his thigh.
whack someone or something up
in. to damage someone or something.Bob got mad at Greg and whacked him up.Clara whacked up her car yesterday.
whale into someone or something
tr. to attack someone or something.Jimmy's dad really whaled into him.The guy whaled into the logs and had a nice wood pile by noon.
whipsaw
tr. to assault a person; to gang up and beat a person.The gang whipsawed the old man for about ten minutes.What kind of creeps would whipsaw an old buzzard like that?