Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The quarrelsome hook-nosed husband of Judy in the comic puppet show Punch and Judy.
  • idiom (pleased as Punch) Highly pleased; gratified.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun UK Name of a glove puppet who was the main character used in a Punch and Judy show.
  • proper noun UK Name of a famous satirical magazine
  • proper noun attributive Indicates a high level of professionalism because of being a past contributor to the magazine.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for Punchinello.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Punch.

Examples

  • But when police and health officials failed to find any missing digits among the workers involved in the restaurant's supply chain, suspicion fell on Ayala, and her story has become a late-night punch line. link Punch line?

    From On High 2005

  • His performance and figures were first-rate -- far superior to anything of the present day, and it is quite evident that poor Leech and others copied _my_ Punch, for _Punch_ and other works, from the Punch that I copied from this Italian Punch.

    The History of "Punch" M. H. Spielmann

  • "A Word with Punch" -- which the _Punch_ men are said to have bought up as far as possible -- had a considerable sale, and an "édition de luxe" was also issued, coloured.

    The History of "Punch" M. H. Spielmann

  • Make a fist as in "Punch" and place knife along fingernails with blade toward little finger side; twist wrist inward quickly and say "period."

    Naomi Craig RA: Sports and Games ITY Brown University 1997

  • I remember many years ago a cartoon which appeared in "Punch", a periodical widely believed to be stuffy and stupid by those who never see it (Amusement).

    International Radio in War and Peace 1945

  • In February of 1941, Captain "Punch" Dickins of the Canadian Pacific Air Services came into the picture and plans were made for new airports, additional living quarters, stores and hangars, etc.

    Some Aspects of the Royal Air Force Transport Command 1943

  • First published in "Punch" magazine in 1935, with black-and-white drawings by Ernest Shepard.

    The Modern Struwwelpeter 1936

  • Wondrich advocates simple, old-fashioned recipes: "In general, the more punch I make, the more I preach restraint," said Wondrich, the author of who also is writing a new book on punch history to be published next year (under the title Punch, or the Delights and Dangers of the Flowing Bowl

    chron.com Chronicle 2009

  • Wondrich advocates simple, old-fashioned recipes: "In general, the more punch I make, the more I preach restraint," said Wondrich, the author of who also is writing a new book on punch history to be published next year (under the title Punch, or the Delights and Dangers of the Flowing Bowl

    chron.com Chronicle 2009

  • And now I am upon this subject, I must do myself justice in relation to an article in a former paper, wherein I made mention of a person who keeps a puppet-show in the town of Bath; [430] I was tender of naming names, and only just hinted, that he makes larger promises, when he invites people to his dramatic representations, than he is able to perform: but I am credibly informed, that he makes a profane lewd jester, which he calls Punch, speak to the dishonour of

    The Tatler, Volume 1, 1899 George A. Aitken

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.