{"id":4411,"date":"2022-06-13T17:16:26","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T17:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4411"},"modified":"2022-06-13T17:16:26","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T17:16:26","slug":"double-whammy-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/double-whammy-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Double Whammy \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to tell someone you experienced a double-dose of good or bad results from something? You could say you got a \u201cdouble whammy<\/em>\u201d you don\u2019t expect. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cdouble whammy<\/em>\u201d refers to receiving a double dose of something. It can have a positive or negative connotation, and the person can end up with a bad or good result from experiencing a \u201cdouble whammy<\/em>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The phrase can refer to a double-blow or a severe setback when the adverse or good events are amplified by another event arriving shortly afterward. A double-whammy<\/em> can refer to actions or events referring to receiving bad or good news from others or the media.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cThey hit us with a double whammy like this and expect us to just fold. First the news of the merger, and now they\u2019re telling everyone they can expect layoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boss hit me with a double whammy. He gave me a raise, and he told me I was the lead coordinator on the next project.\u201d<\/p>\n

The missus hit me with a double whammy yesterday. First, she tells me she\u2019s having an affair, then she tells me she wants a divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a double whammy. First, you hit me with the free tickets, and now you\u2019re inviting me backstage. This is too good to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a bad double whammy last week. First, we got news of grandma passing, and then cousin Zeke died in a car accident a few hours later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ice cream is a double whammy taste sensation. First, you get the vanilla on the outside and then the chocolate on the inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa, that\u2019s a double whammy I didn\u2019t expect. You\u2019re using drugs and dealing them on the side? How long do you think it will be before you go to prison?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \"double whammy\" originates from witchcraft, where it describes a curse or hex. However, the phrase would enter used in sports broadcasting in the early 1900s. The first appearance of \"whammy\" in print comes from the Syracuse Herald-Journal, published in October 1939, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Nobody would have suspected that the baseball gods had put the whammy on Myers and Ernie when the ninth opened.\"<\/p>\n

The phrase \"double whammy\" would first appear soon afterward. The expression appears in the Oakland Tribune, in August 1941, in an op-ed piece about an interview with boxing manager Wirt Ross, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Professor Hoffmeister says I don't get the double whammy to put on human beings until Lesson 9.\"<\/p>\n

The phrase experienced widespread adoption across the US and the UK, with the UK experiencing more use of the expression than the States. The term was a common tagline during the 1992 election campaign for the Conservative Party.<\/p>\n