double whammy

[duhb-uhl wam-ee, hwam-ee]

noun

Informal.

1. two devastating problems, setbacks, or catastrophes.

   The double whammy of insomnia and sleep apnea can make a night's rest almost impossible.

2. any doubled quantity or set of two.

   Visiting the sandwich shop and the ice cream shop makes a delightful savory-sweet double whammy for lunch.

Word History and Origins

Origin of double whammy¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

In what Nick described as a "double whammy", the couple had four e-bikes, worth hundreds, that they chained together outside their home after the blaze.

From BBC

And now the tariffs are a double whammy.

From BBC

"So it's a double whammy - you're going to save because you're going to get the cheaper online pricing and you're going to avoid the security issue because you're going to pick up your big liquids after."

From BBC

Coming on the heels of captain Rohit Sharma quitting a few days earlier, it adds up to a double whammy for India who embark on a tough tour of England for a five-Test series come June without their two most experienced batters.

From BBC

These lawmakers have created a double whammy: a law that could genuinely curtail free expression online and a public relations coup for Musk, whose own interests intersect with a free speech argument.

From Slate