See Also:

whack (iou) and keep(1) (iou)


whack (iou)



whack verb, noun, interjection, & adverb. [wak] E18.
[Imit., or perh. alt. of THWACK. Cf. WH.]
A. verb.
verb trans. Beat vigorously, thrash; strike with a sharp or resounding blow. colloq. E18.
K. Amis The new batsman..whacked the ball towards Jenny. K. A. Porter She..whacked them..on the skull with a folded paper fan. M. Atwood Her father..whacks her with his belt.
b. Defeat in a contest. colloq. L19.
verb trans. Put, bring, or take, with vigorous action. Foll. by adverb. colloq. E18.
Fortune The..agency had to whack $30 million off pretax earnings. Sea Angling Quarterly Lash a new bait to the hook..and whack it back out there. Mountain Biker Whack on the front brake and watch for flex.
verb trans. Share, divide. Also foll. by up. slang. E19.
verb intrans. Foll. by off: masturbate. US slang. M20.
b. noun.
A sharp or resounding blow; the sound of this. colloq. M18.
K. Roberts He caught you an awful whack..How do you feel?
b. A chance, a turn; an attempt, an attack. slang. L19.
P. G. Wodehouse I was..merry..as always when about to get another whack at Anatole's Cooking.
A portion, a share, an amount. slang. L18.
M. Innes There were lawyers..settling the affair, and they got their whack. D. Adams He probably apportioned a fair whack of his time to..breaking down doors.
b. A bargain, an agreement. US slang. M19.
Phrases & comb.: have a whack at slang (a) strike a blow at; (b) attempt. out of whack slang (chiefly N. Amer.) out of order, malfunctioning; out of line, maladjusted. take a whack at = have a whack at above. whack-up slang a sharing out, a dividing up.
C. interjection & adverb. With a whack. colloq. E19.
F. Marryat Whack came the cane on Johnny's shoulders.
whacked adjective (also wacked) (colloq.) (a) tired out, exhausted; (b)
whacked out (US slang), mad, crazy; spec. intoxicated with drugs: E20.
whacker noun (colloq.) (a) dial. a sharp blow; (b) US a drover; (c) a thing very large of its kind; esp. a big lie: E19.
whacking noun (colloq.) the action of the verb; an instance of this, a beating, a thrashing: M19.
whacking adjective & adverb (colloq.) (a) adjective very large; (b) adverb very, exceedingly (big, great, etc.): L18.

keep(1) (iou)



keep noun. [ki:p] ME.
[from the verb.]
Care, heed, notice. Chiefly in take keep, (foll. by of, to do, or obj. clause). ME-L19.
A. Barclay What God hath done for you ye take no keepe.
Care in tending, watching, or preserving; charge. Orig. in take keep. arch. ME.
Keats If from shepherd's keep a lamb strayed far.
An article which serves for containing or retaining something; esp. (a) (now dial.) a clasp or similar fastening; (b) rare a reservoir for fish; a weir or dam for retaining water. LME.
b. Mining. Each of a set of movable iron supports on which the cage rests when at the top of the shaft of a coalmine. M19.
Hist. The innermost and strongest structure or central tower of a medieval castle, serving as a last defence; a stronghold, a donjon. M16.
The action of keeping or maintaining a person or thing; the fact of being kept. M18.
M. R. Mitford Our old spaniel..and the blue grey-hound..were sent out to keep for the summer.
b. The Food required to keep a person or animal; provender, pasture; maintenance, support. Now chiefly in earn one's keep. E19.
J. R. Lowell You're so darned lazy, I don't think you're hardly worth your keep.
Phrases: earn one's keep fig. do enough to justify what one receives; provide a sufficient return. for keeps colloq. (orig. US) (a) to keep for good; completely, altogether; in deadly earnest; (b) Cricket defensively, in order to remain at the wicket. in good keep well kept, in good condition. in low keep in poor condition.