whale into someone or somethingin. to
attack someone or something. Jimmy’s
dad really whaled into him. The guy
whaled into the logs and had a nice wood
pile by noon.
whale onmod. excellent. (Confused with
or in error for wailing.) This is one
whale on rally. We had a whale on time
at Bob’s house.
whale the tar out of someonetv. to
spank or beat someone. (Sometimes said
to a child.) My father threatened to
whale the tar out of me. I’ll whale the
tar out of you when we get home if you
don’t settle down.
whalingGo to wailing.
wham-bang[“WAm”bAN] mod. boisterous.
We had a really wham-bang time at
your party.
whang(y)doodle[“WAN”dudland “WANi-
”dudl] 1. n. a gadget. Toss me one of the
little whangdoodles, would ya? This
whangydoodle is a little bent. 2. n. non-
sense. Now that’s enough of your
whangdoodle. All I ever hear out of you
is whangydoodle.
whank offGo to beat off.
What (a) nerve!exclam. What insolence!;
How rude and presumptuous! Did you
hear what she said? What nerve! What
a nerve! Have you ever seen such gall?
What can I do you for?interrog. How can
I help you?; How can I serve you? Good
morning. What can I do for you? Now
it’s your turn. What can I do for you?
whatchamacallit[“W@tS@m@”kalIt] n. <a
name for a person or thing whose real
name has been forgotten or is being
avoided.> Did you invite whatchama-
callit to the party? I lost my—you
know—my whatchamacallit—my watch!
What do you say? 1. interrog. Hello, how
are you? (Most often [w@d@j@”se].) Hi,
Jim. What do you say? What do you say,
man? 2. interrog. What is your answer?
Well, what do you say? Come on, I need
an answer now. What do you say?
What else is new?interrog. But isn’t that
what you expect?; What you said isn’t
new, so what is new? Yes, there is trou-
ble around the world. What else is new?
So, there’s not enough money this week.
What else is new?
whatevermod. I don’t care; it doesn’t mat-
ter which choice; whatever you want.
Q: I have chocolate, vanilla, strawberry,
kiwi, and lime. Which do you want? A:
Oh, whatever.
whatever turns you ontv. It’s all right if
it excites you or interests you. (Said orig-
inally about sexual matters.) You really
like pickled pigs feet? Whatever turns you
on. I can’t stand that kind of music, but
whatever turns you on.
What gives?interrog. What is going on?;
What is happening? Hey! What gives?
Who left this here? What gives? Who’s
made this mess?
What in Sam Hill?Go to What in (the)
Sam Hill?
What (in) the devil?interrog. What has
happened?; What? (Often with the force
of an exclamation.) What in the devil?
Who put sugar in the salt shaker? What
the devil? Who are you? What are you do-
ing in my room?
What (in) the fucking hell!exclam. an an-
gry and surprised elaboration ofWhat?
(Taboo. Usually objectionable.) What
the fucking hell! Who are you and how’d
you get in here? What the fucking hell
do you think you are doing?
What (in) the hell? 1. interrog. What has
happened?; What? What in the hell?
Who did this? What the hell happened
here? 2. interrog. What does it matter?
(Usually with the force of an exclama-
tion.) Give her a new one. What the
hell! Don’t be such a cheapskate. Get the
nice one. What the hell!
What in (the) Sam Hill?interrog. What
has happened?; What? (An elaboration of
what. Sam Hill is hell. Often with the
force of an exclamation. See examples for
variations.) What in Sam Hill is going
on around here? What in the Sam Hill
do you think you are doing?whale into someone or something