Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Slang A conclusive blow or remark.
- n. Slang Something outstanding.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. That which finishes or ends a matter; a settler; a poser, as a heavy blow, a conclusive answer, and the like.
- n. A combination of two hooks which close upon each other, by means of a spring, as soon as the fish bites.
- n. Something unusually large.
Etymologies
- Origin unknown.
Examples
“A "sockdolager" is something that settles a matter, as with a decisive blow; it also means something that is extraordinary.”
“Selya loves ten-cent words (Law Blog, adjusting for inflation, calls them five-dollar words), and has managed to work doozies like philotheoparoptesism, repastinate, sockdolager, and thaumaturgical, among others, into his opinions.”
“This sockdolager of a word has an unusual claim to fame in the US history.”
The missing booms: the best laid schemes o’ government an’ men…
“H-WHACK! — bum! bum! bumble-umble-um-bum-bum-bum-bum — and the thunder would go rumbling and grumbling away, and quit — and then RIP comes another flash and another sockdolager.”
“Now the author of that particular play was an Englishman and he knew that sockdolager was an”
“Sockdolager originally meant just a strong blow, like i-- ` That was a sockdolager of a punch you landed on me, 'or,”
“Well, that was quite a sockdolager for Pat, but Pat was was a very resourceful Gael, and he looked at this fellow very suspiciously, and he says, You ask me where it is?”
“I'd land you a sockdolager on the muzzle that ud lay you out till”
The Magic Pudding Being the Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and His Friends Bill Barnacle & Sam Sawnoff
“If punching parrots on the beak wasn't too painful for pleasure, I'd land you a sockdolager on the muzzle that' ud lay you out till Christmas.”
“A regular sockdolager, isn't it, Gates?" said Walter.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘sockdolager’.
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Nincompoopery
Words that clatter and tumble
nincompoop, pettyfoggery, gaberlunzie, cattywampus, weisenheimer, katzenjammer, hecklephone, loblolly, carriwitchet, flibbertyjibbet, hornswoggle, thimblerigger and 159 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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dewORdie
Wordsmithing, linguistics, logic, and grammar
polyagglutination, morphosyntactic, textuality, tautology, synaloepha, logodaedaly, logogogue, largiloquent, sockdolager, phonotactics, asemic writing, philology and 5 more...
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-ager
Any word ending in -ager. And because I'm feeling generous tonight, I'll even let in words ending in -adger.
voyager, teenager, wager, pager, manager, dowager, badger, cadger, lager, rager, mumager, tanager and 14 more...
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TEN DOLLAR WORDS
brouhaha, foofaraw, ruckus, slumgullion, snollygoster, slangwhanger, slugabed, hodgepodge, rapscallion, muckamuck, hornswoggle, sockdolager and 5 more...
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nicolelindseyj's list
tragematopolist, sockdolager, arachibutyrophobia, hoary, knismogenic, nudiustertian
zander Answers.com sez:Origin: 1827
Entering the vocabulary by at least 1827, sockdolager was already well enough established in American slang to be included in a glossary published in the Virginia Literary Museum on January 6, 1830: "'sockdolager,' 'a decisive blow'--one, in the slang language, 'capable of setting a man thinking.'" It also could mean something or someone big. "There is but one 'sogdollager' in the universe," James Fenimore Cooper wrote in 1838, "and that is in Lake Oswego."
Sockdolager was just one of the outrageous ten-dollar words coined early in the nineteenth century that sprang from the exuberance of the expanding new country. Others were absquatulate for "depart," callithumpian for "a noisy parade," hornswoggle for "cheat," and other s-words like slumgullion for "something disgusting," snollygoster for "a political jobseeker," and slangwhanger for "a partisan speechmaker," as well as skedaddle and SHINDIG (1857), which both survive today.
On April 14, 1865, sockdolager was a key word in a tragic moment of American history. The Englishman Tom Taylor used it in his comedy, Our American Cousin, to Americanize the play's hero when he spoke the line that got the most laughs: "Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, you sockdologizing old man-trap." As the audience roared, John Wilkes Booth pulled the trigger. Those were the last words President Abraham Lincoln ever heard. Aug 1, 2009
dontcry What happened to J, M? Feb 1, 2009
jmjarmstrong M notes it was difficult to have the sockdolager but when it happened, it happened Feb 1, 2009
fbharjo sockdolager rapids word in motion Jan 30, 2009
johnmperry cf doxology Jun 19, 2008
reesetee Oh, but I'm sure you can, jennarenn, here in Wordieville. :-) Feb 5, 2008
jennarenn I love that you love that expression. Almost makes me wish I could carry it off. Feb 5, 2008
chained_bear Well, that's just tits.
(Note: See vitamin h. Thanks adoarns!) Feb 5, 2008
reesetee A few Wordies were arranging a search party, c_b. Feb 5, 2008
chained_bear Oh dude, I am so pissed off at being kept away from Wordie!! *pouts* Feb 5, 2008
john Hey, c_b, you're back from your Wordie holiday. Good to see you again :-) Feb 5, 2008
chained_bear Is this related to "sockdologizing old man-trap" as in the play "Our American Cousin"? Feb 5, 2008
austinwords several other definitions include:
1. a decisive or conclusive reply in an argument or debate, as one that settles a matter, like when your Mom says, "Case closed!"
2. a combination of two hooks that close on each other when a fish bites the hook.
3. any unusually large object. Feb 5, 2008
arby VARIANT FORMS: also sock·dol·o·ger
NOUN: Slang 1. A conclusive blow or remark. 2. Something outstanding.
ETYMOLOGY: Origin unknown. Mar 28, 2007