blow (one's) wad

1. To lose or spend all of one's money. My Las Vegas trip was short lived—I blew my wad at the poker table in the first two hours! Here's $20 for the weekend, don't blow your whole wad tonight. Why is it that so many lottery winners blow their wad and end up penniless?

2. vulgar slang Of a man, to ejaculate semen during an orgasm. I was mortified, but at least my girlfriend was nice about it: "It's not a big deal—plenty of men blow their wad, uh, ahead of schedule."

3. To lose control of one's composure, temper, patience, or nerve in a given situation. A reference to premature ejaculation, it is usually used in the negative. Don't blow your wad, we'll get there soon. The game is in 30 minutes. I know you're nervous, but stay sharp, don't blow your wad now. A: "Don't blow your wad and become a stammering fool in the interview, OK?" B: "Gee, thanks for the words of encouragement."

dipwad

slang One who is stupid or irritating, Geez, he keeps pulling on a door that's clearly marked "push"—what a dipwad. Did you hear that guy's ridiculous question? Geez, what a dipwad. You dipwad. I can't believe you put a pizza in the oven for 30 minutes without first turning it on.

get (one's) panties in a wad

slang To become overly upset or emotional over something, especially that which is trivial or unimportant. Ah, don't get your panties in a wad, I'll have the car back by tomorrow morning! In my opinion, people are getting their panties in a wad over this election. A: "Oh no, our picnic is ruined!" B: "It'll stop raining soon—don't get your panties in a wad."

shoot (one's) wad

1. slang To lose or spend all of one's money. My Las Vegas trip was short lived—I shot my wad at the poker table in the first two hours! Here's $20 for the weekend, don't shoot your whole wad tonight.

2. vulgar slang Of a male, to ejaculate semen during an orgasm.

See also: shoot, wad

tightwad

slang A very stingy or miserly person. Sorry for being such a tightwad. I just have to be very careful with my money until I get my next paycheck. Maybe if the boss weren't a huge tightwad we could actually work with modern software for a change.

wad up

To crumple something into a small lump or ball (i.e., a "wad"). A noun or pronoun can be used between "wad" and "up." My heart sank when I saw him wad the note up and toss it on the ground. Don't just wad up your papers and stuff them in your bag—put them in a folder or something, for crying out loud!

wad

1. slang A large amount or quantity, especially of money. I couldn't believe the wad of cash I got for selling my old PC. Who knew it was worth so much? My Las Vegas trip was short-lived—I blew my wad at the poker table in the first two hours!

2. vulgar slang An ejaculation of semen.

WAD

An acronym for "works/working as designed." Used primarily in reference to computer software and programming. We've looked into the user error reports, but as far as we can see the app is WAD. The game's designers implemented a patch to balance the combat, but it definitely does not WAD.

shoot one's wad

Sl. to spend all or nearly all one's cash on hand. I shot my wad on junk food. I can't afford a cab. I shot my wad at the restaurant.

See also: shoot, wad

shoot one's bolt

Also, shoot one's wad. Do all within one's power; exhaust one's resources or capabilities. For example, They were asking for more ideas but Bob had shot his bolt and couldn't come up with any , or Don't shoot your wad with that article or you won't have any material for the sequels. The first expression comes from archery and referred to using up all of one's bolts (short, heavy arrows fired with a crossbow); it was a proverb by the 1200s. The colloquial variant, dating from about 1900, comes from gambling and refers to spending all of a wad of rolled-up banknotes. Also see shoot the works.

shoot your wad

If someone shoots their wad, they use all their effort or money for something, so that they have no energy or money left. He gave the impression of a man who shot his wad too early, and was left with only a reputation and some memories. The team seems to have shot its wad earlier in the season.

See also: shoot, wad

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

wad up

To crumple or compress something into a wad: I wadded up the piece of paper and threw it in the trash. The janitor wadded the tissues up and threw them away.

dipwad

(ˈdɪpwɑd)

n. a jerk; a nerd. (Euphemistic for dipshit.) If you weren’t a big dipwad, you would give me a hand with this.

shoot one’s wad

tv. to spend or use everything. I can’t afford a cab. I shot my wad at the restaurant.

See also: shoot, wad

tight wad

n. a stingy person; a miser. (see also wad.) There’s no need to be such a tight wad.

wad

1. (wɑd) n. a bundle of money; a bankroll. (see also tight wad.) I lost my wad on a rotten horse in the seventh race.

2. n. a gob of semen. He called the wad a cumquat and thought he’d made a joke.

shoot (one's) wad

1. Slang

a. To spend all of one's cash.

b. To use up all of one's energy or resources.

2. Vulgar Slang To ejaculate.

See also: shoot, wad

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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