whiz-bang

[ noun hwiz-bang, wiz-; adjective hwiz-bang, wiz- ]

/ noun ˈʰwɪzˌbæŋ, ˈwɪz-; adjective ˈʰwɪzˈbæŋ, ˈwɪz- /

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See synonyms for: whiz-bang / whiz-bangs on Thesaurus.com

noun

Military. a small, high-speed shell whose sound as it flies through the air arrives almost at the same instant as its explosion.

a firecracker with a similar effect.

adjective

Informal. first-rate; topnotch: a whiz-bang navigator.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

Origin of whiz-bang

First recorded in 1910–15; imitative of the sound

Did the French monarchy end not with a bang—or a whimper—but a smile?
The French Court’s Royal Ban on Smiles|William O’Connor|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More clumsily, fireworks stand in for the Big Bang and a potato and peas are invoked to explain relativity.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?|Clive Irving|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This professional seducer, of sorts, has been pictured holding a T-shirt reading “Diss Fatties, Bang Hotties.”
‘Pick-Up Artist’ to Be Banned from UK|Tom Sykes|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As ends of eras go, he recalls, it was mostly whimper and not much bang.
How The Cold War Endgame Played Out In The Rubble Of The Berlin Wall|William O’Connor|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In 1996, John Paul II called the Big Bang theory “more than a hypothesis.”
Even the Pope Isn’t a Hard-Core Creationist|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bang went the fragile bulb, as it splintered into a thousand atoms, and the mercury shot in sparkling globules over the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Garnache closed the door upon him with a bang, and smiled quietly as he turned to Valerie.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Miss Boutts replied that they were too busy in the daytime, but were asked once a week to a "bang-up" affair.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Immediately the door was opened just enough to let the two men glide in; then it was shut with a bang and bolted.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
We lit our pipes and strolled over in silence to the men's quarters, and it was his odd Canadian expression "Gee whiz!"
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood