whammy

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“
With that double-whammy, the shortages I've seen elsewhere are even more widespread here.

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Definitions (4)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun Slang A supernatural spell for subduing an adversary; a hex: put the whammy on someone.
  2. noun Slang A serious or devastating setback: "The triple whammy: government cuts, declining corporate giving, and less favorable tax laws” (New York Times).

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Examples (49)

  • Monk didn't understand at first why Doc went back to the origin of the "whammy," back in the historical picture--about seven hundred years ago, apparently--when the first blond man, who was probably not a blond man, had come up with the weird ability to wield a steel-band influence over his associates. —  179 - The Green Master
  • I have the ability to use the whammy, as Mr. Mayfair keeps calling it. —  179 - The Green Master
  • So, being low in dopamine hits your weight control efforts with a double whammy -- you're driven to eat more and it's harder to stop once you start. —  CNN.com
  • Retailers are bracing for a proposed state tax hike on cigarettes that could give prices a double-whammy, pushing the cost of a pack into the $8 range later this year. —  News from www.rep-am.com
  • That's the double whammy which is not going to seem "fair" enough to sustain forever, no matter what promises policians made during boom times.
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