haymaker
haymaker Lexical Profile
haymaker Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A forceful, swinging punch thrown with the full weight of the body behind it, typically aimed at knocking out an opponent in boxing; figuratively, any decisive or devastating blow, action, or event.
"The challenger threw a wild haymaker in the final round, hoping to score a sudden knockout."
A farmworker who cuts, spreads, and dries grass to make hay, or an agricultural machine used to ted and cure hay.
"Before modern tractors, teams of haymakers worked in the fields from dawn to dusk to gather the harvest before the rain."
• Rhymes for haymaker
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in late Middle English as a compound of 'hay' and 'maker' to describe a farmworker who cuts and cures hay. The boxing sense emerged in early 20th-century American slang, likening a wide, looping punch to the broad swinging motion of a scythe used in harvesting.