"whale on" meaning in English

See whale on in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-whale on.ogg [Australia] Forms: whales on [present, singular, third-person], whaling on [participle, present], whaled on [participle, past], whaled on [past]
Etymology: See whale (“to beat vigorously or soundly”). Etymology templates: {{m|en|whale||to beat vigorously or soundly}} whale (“to beat vigorously or soundly”) Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} whale on (third-person singular simple present whales on, present participle whaling on, simple past and past participle whaled on)
  1. (slang) To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight. Tags: slang Translations (to strike heavily in a fight): s’acharner (French), tabasser (French), verhauen (German), verdreschen (German)
    Sense id: en-whale_on-en-verb-tSgIT295 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs with particle (on) Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 88 12 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs with particle (on): 69 31 Disambiguation of 'to strike heavily in a fight': 83 17
  2. (slang) To beat heavily on anything. Tags: slang Synonyms: wale on, wail on Translations (to beat heavily on anything): draufhauen (German), draufdreschen (German)
    Sense id: en-whale_on-en-verb-yaKcywLJ Disambiguation of 'to beat heavily on anything': 4 96

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for whale on meaning in English (3.9kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "whale",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to beat vigorously or soundly"
      },
      "expansion": "whale (“to beat vigorously or soundly”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See whale (“to beat vigorously or soundly”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "whales on",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaling on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaled on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaled on",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "whale on (third-person singular simple present whales on, present participle whaling on, simple past and past participle whaled on)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "88 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "69 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs with particle (on)",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1962, Norman Mailer, The Death of Benny Paret",
          "text": "If he had been able to break loose from his handlers and the referee, he would have jumped Paret to the floor and whaled on him there.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000, Joseph Di Prisco, Confessions of Brother Eli, page 320",
          "text": "Philip was whaling on O, who was whaling on Slater, who was whaling on Genesius, who was whaling on Philip. Blood, spittle, and curses were flying.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Jack Hart, Skookum Summer: A Novel of the Pacific Northwest, page 278",
          "text": "“Big sumbitch,” Don Dykes said. “Took a fuckin' ax handle to me. Just whaled on my fuckin' ass.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight."
      ],
      "id": "en-whale_on-en-verb-tSgIT295",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "83 17",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
          "word": "s’acharner"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "83 17",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
          "word": "tabasser"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "83 17",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
          "word": "verhauen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "83 17",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
          "word": "verdreschen"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The wrench wouldn’t budge, even though Tony was just whaling on it with a big old sledge hammer."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, Stephen King, Bag of Bones",
          "text": "Standing at the front, wearing a guitar and whaling on it as she sang, was Sara Tidwell.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Nora Roberts, The Last Boyfriend, page 71",
          "text": "Jaw tight, Ryder picked up his hammer, set a framing nail, and whaled on it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Chris Fabry, The Song",
          "text": "Now he couldn't get enough of playing his father's music on a CD and whaling on the drum set Jed had bought him at one of those warehouse club stores",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To beat heavily on anything."
      ],
      "id": "en-whale_on-en-verb-yaKcywLJ",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) To beat heavily on anything."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "wale on"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "word": "wail on"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to beat heavily on anything",
          "word": "draufhauen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to beat heavily on anything",
          "word": "draufdreschen"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-whale on.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7e/En-au-whale_on.ogg/En-au-whale_on.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/En-au-whale_on.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "whale on"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs with particle (on)",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "whale",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to beat vigorously or soundly"
      },
      "expansion": "whale (“to beat vigorously or soundly”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "See whale (“to beat vigorously or soundly”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "whales on",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaling on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaled on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaled on",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "whale on (third-person singular simple present whales on, present participle whaling on, simple past and past participle whaled on)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1962, Norman Mailer, The Death of Benny Paret",
          "text": "If he had been able to break loose from his handlers and the referee, he would have jumped Paret to the floor and whaled on him there.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2000, Joseph Di Prisco, Confessions of Brother Eli, page 320",
          "text": "Philip was whaling on O, who was whaling on Slater, who was whaling on Genesius, who was whaling on Philip. Blood, spittle, and curses were flying.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Jack Hart, Skookum Summer: A Novel of the Pacific Northwest, page 278",
          "text": "“Big sumbitch,” Don Dykes said. “Took a fuckin' ax handle to me. Just whaled on my fuckin' ass.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) To strike an opponent heavily and repeatedly in a fight."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English slang",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The wrench wouldn’t budge, even though Tony was just whaling on it with a big old sledge hammer."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1999, Stephen King, Bag of Bones",
          "text": "Standing at the front, wearing a guitar and whaling on it as she sang, was Sara Tidwell.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Nora Roberts, The Last Boyfriend, page 71",
          "text": "Jaw tight, Ryder picked up his hammer, set a framing nail, and whaled on it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Chris Fabry, The Song",
          "text": "Now he couldn't get enough of playing his father's music on a CD and whaling on the drum set Jed had bought him at one of those warehouse club stores",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To beat heavily on anything."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang) To beat heavily on anything."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-whale on.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7e/En-au-whale_on.ogg/En-au-whale_on.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/En-au-whale_on.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "wale on"
    },
    {
      "word": "wail on"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
      "word": "s’acharner"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
      "word": "tabasser"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
      "word": "verhauen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to strike heavily in a fight",
      "word": "verdreschen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to beat heavily on anything",
      "word": "draufhauen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to beat heavily on anything",
      "word": "draufdreschen"
    }
  ],
  "word": "whale on"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.