whammy

[ wam-ee, hwam-ee ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural wham·mies.

1. a devastating blow, setback, or catastrophe:

   The drought and the high price of fertilizer are a double whammy to farmers.

   The big whammy will be the coming update, which could make our software nonfunctional.

2. bad luck or misfortune.
3. Often the wham·my. the evil eye; jinx.

whammy

/ ˈwæmɪ /

noun

1. something which has great, often negative, impact

   the double whammy of high interest rates and low wage increases

2. an evil spell or curse

   she was convinced he had put the whammy on her

Word History and Origins

Origin of whammy¹

First recorded in 1935–40; wham + -y ², after a method of jinxing someone by striking the fist into the palm

Word History and Origins

Origin of whammy¹

C20: wham + -y ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. put the whammy on, Informal.
   1. to give the evil eye to; jinx.
   2. to destroy, end, or eradicate:

      New controls will put the whammy on irresponsible spending.

Example Sentences

Mr Machin said he "didn't quite see the double whammy coming up", referring to both the NI rise for employers and the reduction of the threshold for it applying.

From BBC

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Angelenos will get their first peek at a double whammy astrological delight — a Hunter’s moon that also happens to be a supermoon.

From Los Angeles Times

Small businesses are more dependent on bank financing, and in the last two years have faced a double whammy of high inflation and high borrowing costs.

From Los Angeles Times

The effects of Somalia’s climate change “double whammy” are all too evident in the hunger clinic the Red Cross runs in a hospital in the port city of Kismayo on the south coast.

From BBC

“The old season potatoes are not there, usually the old season would be there until the new season comes in, but they're not so it's a double whammy really,” Ryan told the Irish Examiner.

From Salon

Related Words

• hex