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paddywhack

American  
[pad-ee-hwak, -wak] / ˈpæd iˌʰwæk, -ˌwæk /
Also paddywack

noun

  1. Informal. a spanking.

verb (used with object)

  1. Informal. to spank or beat.

paddywhack British  
/ ˈpædɪˌwæk /

noun

  1. another word for paddy 2

  2. a spanking or smack

"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

Etymology

Origin of paddywhack

1775–85; Paddy ( def. ) + whack 1 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"You dum paddywhack," he presently reopened, "what d'ye break yer paddle for?"

From Overland by De Forest, J. W. (John William)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.