hammer blow

noun

a blow from a hammer
a severe shock or setbackLiam's death was a hammer blow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Examples from the Web for hammer blow

Historical Examples

Then Professor Kellton set his glass on the table, and it sounded like a hammer-blow.
Graveyard of Dreams
Henry Beam Piper
And we ought to have realized that this was strange, because Soissons nowadays is a sight to strike the heart a hammer-blow.
Everyman's Land
C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
Knowing all the conditions, Ballard thought the masonry would never withstand the hammer-blow impact of the wreck-laden billow.
The King of Arcadia
Francis Lynde

hammer blow

Examples from the Web for hammer blow

Historical Examples

Then Professor Kellton set his glass on the table, and it sounded like a hammer-blow.

And we ought to have realized that this was strange, because Soissons nowadays is a sight to strike the heart a hammer-blow.

Knowing all the conditions, Ballard thought the masonry would never withstand the hammer-blow impact of the wreck-laden billow.