sucker-punch
[ suhk-er-puhnch ]
/ ˈsʌk ərˌpʌntʃ /
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verb (used with object) Slang.
to strike (someone) with an unexpected blow.
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OTHER WORDS FROM sucker-punch
sucker punch, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for sucker-punch
sucker punch
noun
a sudden surprise punch, esp from behind
a sudden unexpected defeat or setback
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with sucker-punch
sucker punch
An unexpected blow, as in They felt that suddenly raising the interest rate was a sucker punch to the administration. This expression comes from boxing, where it is used for a punch delivered unexpectedly; boxing great Jack Dempsey wrote, “The right lead [for a right-handed boxer] is called a sucker punch.” [Slang; mid-1900s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.