hammer away at (someone)

hammer away at (someone)

To intensely or vigorously interrogate someone. My parents wouldn't stop hammering away at me with questions as I was heading out the door—I thought I'd never be able to leave! Would you stop hammering away at me with questions? I don't know where he is! The police hammered away at the suspect with questions regarding his whereabouts during the crime.

See also: away, hammer

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

hammer away at

Keep at something continuously, as in The reporters hammered away at the candidate. This phrase employs hammer in the sense of "beat repeatedly," a usage dating from the mid-1600s.

See also: away, hammer

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.