triphammer

or trip ham·mer

[trip-ham-er]

noun

Machinery. a heavy hammer raised and then let fall by means of some tripping device, as a cam.

adjective

of, resembling, or characteristic of the repetitive and forceful pounding of a triphammer: He was subjected to triphammer interrogation by the police detectives.

Origin of triphammer

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; trip¹ + hammer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for triphammer

Frank's heart was beating like a triphammer and his nerves were at a fearful tension.
Army Boys on the Firing Line|Homer Randall
The lad's heart beat like a triphammer as he entered the tavern once more.
The Black Buccaneer|Stephen W. Meader
When intoxicated, his tongue rapped out fun and fury like a triphammer.
The Lane That Had No Turning, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Her heart was beating like a triphammer,—she felt strangely weak in the knees.
West Wind Drift|George Barr McCutcheon

The fiddler twisted and turned, but his head went like a triphammer on the seat.
Baddeck and That Sort of Thing|Charles Dudley Warner

British Dictionary definitions for triphammer

triphammer

noun

a power hammer that is raised or tilted by a cam and allowed to fall under gravity

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