whammy

[ hwam-ee, wam-ee ]
/ ˈʰwæm i, ˈwæm i /

noun, plural wham·mies. Informal.

the evil eye; jinx.
bad luck or misfortune.
a devastating blow, setback, or catastrophe: The drought and the high price of fertilizer are a double whammy to farmers.

Idioms for whammy

    put the whammy on,
    1. to give the evil eye to; jinx.
    2. to destroy, end, or eradicate: New controls will put the whammy on irresponsible spending.

Origin of whammy

1935–40; wham + -y2, one of the methods of putting a whammy on someone being to strike the fist into the palm

Example sentences from the Web for whammy

British Dictionary definitions for whammy

whammy
/ (ˈwæmɪ) /

noun plural -mies

something which has great, often negative, impact the double whammy of high interest rates and low wage increases
an evil spell or curse she was convinced he had put the whammy on her

Word Origin for whammy

C20: wham + -y ²