something which has great, often negative, impact: the double whammy of high interest rates and low wage increases an evil spell or curse
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
wham•my /ˈhwæmi, ˈwæmi/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. -mies. [Slang.]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Informal Termssomething that is unlucky, or thought to cause bad luck;
a jinx;
hex. - Informal Termsa terrible blow, a crushing setback, or a catastrophe.
wham•my
(hwam′ē, wam′ē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -mies. [Informal.]
- Informal Termsthe evil eye;
jinx. - Informal Termsbad luck or misfortune.
- Informal Termsa devastating blow, setback, or catastrophe:The drought and the high price of fertilizer are a double whammy to farmers.
- Informal Terms put the whammy on:
- to give the evil eye to;
jinx. - to destroy, end, or eradicate:New controls will put the whammy on irresponsible spending.
- to give the evil eye to;
- wham + -y2, one of the methods of putting a whammy on someone being to strike the fist into the palm 1935–40
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