karate-chop

American  

[kuh-rah-tee-chop] / kəˈrɑ tiˌtʃɒp /

noun

1. a sharp blow used in karate, usually delivered by a slanting stroke with the side of the hand.

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verb (used with object)

karate-chopped, karate-chopping

1. to strike with a karate-chop.

Etymology

Origin of karate-chop

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

This is, of course, ludicrous, as Miss Piggy would simply karate-chop the therapist.

From Slate • Aug. 3, 2020

Hendricks and Pekkanen have a real knack for plot-spinning, and “The Wife Between Us” unfolds in breathlessly ominous chapters, occasionally pausing for a narrative karate-chop.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2019

At one point, Mr. Atkins asked if he could karate-chop the ice off Mr. Brickhouse’s orange snow cone.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2014

The song stopped, not entirely on their father’s karate-chop cue, but the boy did not.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 20, 2010

"I had a conservative--Gramm--in the race I had to take out first," she says, making the same karate-chop gestures as her brother.

From Time Magazine Archive