Dictionary

haymaker en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈheɪmeɪkɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English heymakere; equivalent to hay + maker.

Meanings

1. A person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder.
   • A long rank of haymakers—men and women—proceeded with their rakes, the white shirt-sleeves, straw bonnets, and ruddy faces, radiant in the bath of sunshine. 1853, Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 7, in The Heir of Redclyffe:
2. (informal) A particularly powerful punch, especially one which knocks down an opponent, thrown like a scythe chop for cutting hay, as agricultural haymakers used to have strong arms.
   • The saga of Newt Gingrich's ethics suddenly resembles a brawl between blindfolded boxers who flail away so wildly that each lands a haymaker on his own jaw. 1997 January 20, George Church, “Newt's Day of Deliverance”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Dec 2008:
   • The interview consisted of [Demis] Hassabis challenging [Joe] McDonagh to a series of games; he beat the candidate in a race to fold an origami bird, but decided not to test his left hook or his haymaker. 2026, Sebastian Mallaby, “The Jedi”, in The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind and the Quest for Superintelligence, Penguin, →ISBN:
3. (broadly, figuratively) Any decisive blow, shock, or forceful action.
   • Guardiola swung haymakers in all directions; he presented one of the world’s richest clubs as a noble, put-upon underdog; and he established a siege mentality with such coruscating precision that Football Daily instantly bet the farm on City winning the Premier League this season. 2023 February 10, Rob Smyth, “Pep Guardiola comes out swinging haymakers in all directions”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Mar 2023:
   • The real potential haymaker for the industry is a proposal, now gaining support in Congress, that would tax the profits private equity reaps on selling companies not at the low cap gains rate, but at the regular income tax rate. 2007 June 18, Shawn Tully, “Private equity: End of the golden age?”, in CNN Money, archived from the original on 19 Sep 2007, retrieved 10 Sep 2008:

Forms

Translations (16)

ru нокаут (particularly powerful punch) · fi niittokone (person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder) · fi tyrmäysisku (any decisive blow, shock, or forceful action) · fi isku (particularly powerful punch) · cmn 製草機 /制草机 (person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder) · fi isku (any decisive blow, shock, or forceful action) · nl rotklap (particularly powerful punch) · eo pugnobatego (particularly powerful punch) · cmn 決定性的打擊 /决定性的打击 (any decisive blow, shock, or forceful action) · nl knock-out (particularly powerful punch) · cmn 勾拳 (particularly powerful punch) · uk косар (particularly powerful punch) · cmn 割乾草的人 /割干草的人 (person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder) · uk косильник (particularly powerful punch) · fi heinäntekijä (person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder) · fi tyrmäysisku (particularly powerful punch)