pack a punch

1. Be capable of a forceful blow; also, deliver a forceful blow. For example, Knowing Bob could pack a wicked punch, they were careful not to anger him , or She swung her handbag, really packing a wallop . [ Colloquial ; c. 1920]

2. Have a powerful effect, as in That vodka martini packed a wallop . Thomas Wolfe had this figurative usage in a letter (c. 1938): “I think my play, The House , will pack a punch.”

Idioms and Phrases

Also, pack a wallop .