punch-out

Or punch·out

[puhnch-out]

noun

1. a small section of cardboard or metal surrounded by perforations so that it can be easily forced out.

2. Slang.,  a fistfight or brawl.

3. Baseball.,  the air-punching gesture an umpire makes to denote a third strike, effectively ending the batter’s at-bat.

   Stein didn’t develop his signature punch-out until his third season umpiring in the minors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of punch out¹

First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase punch out

Idioms and Phrases

Record one's time of departure from work, as in We never punch out at exactly five o'clock . This usage, dating from the 1920s, alludes to the use of a time clock. Also see punch in , def. 1.

Eject from a military aircraft, as in The pilot punched out just before the plane blew up . [ Slang ; 1960s]

Example Sentences

After the movie punch-out, Scheffler is pictured in a jail cell, in an orange jail suit, as a guard asks, since he has been in that cell for three days, if he wants to get out.

From Los Angeles Times

And the box, also unchanged since the beginning, features a punch-out spout that can cause a bit of a mess.

From Los Angeles Times

Well, this time Stallone elected to step back from prime punch-out duties and leave the heavy hitting to Statham, his character’s longtime second-in-command.

From Seattle Times

“Adbert comes in to get the ground ball and then the big punch-out of Tatis and then Leiter goes through the heart of their order.”

From Washington Times

As she typically does with her producers, Clark sent Carlile a batch of 18-24 songs, with Carlile homing in on songs that, as she explained to Clark, sounded like they were written in her bedroom, as opposed to a punch-in, punch-out writing room.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bloodshed 
• combat 
• conflict 
• dispute 
• exchange 
• hostility 
• melee 
• riot 
• scuffle 
• strife 
• struggle 
• war 
• warfare