whale
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
like a beached whale
1. Completely stuck and unable to move or escape from the situation. Said especially of large objects or vehicles. Our van's wheels sunk in the mud, and we've been stuck here like a beached whale for over an hour!
2. offensive slang Of a person, exceptionally large or obese. I love going to the beach, but I'm going to look like a beached whale in this swimsuit.
a beached whale
offensive slang An extremely large or obese person. I really need to start exercising again. I've turned into a beached whale!
a whale of a (good) time
An exceptionally fun, exciting, or amusing experience. (Usually used in the phrase, "have a whale of a (good) time.") Gee, Samantha, I sure had a whale of a time at the dance with you last night. We should go out again sometime! Come out to our party this weekend, it's sure to be a whale of a good time!
whale tail
slang The waistband of a thong or G-string when it becomes visible above the waistline of the wearer's pants or skirt. I really don't like wearing thongs, because I'm always paranoid that I'll end up having a whale tail on display.
every eel hopes to become a whale
A phrase highlighting one's ambition. Just like every eel hopes to become a whale, I dream of becoming the CEO one day.
throw a tub to the whale
To create a diversion, in order to avoid a dangerous or unpleasant situation. No one can know that I'm here, so throw a tub to the whale while I sneak out the back door!
a whale of a
1. An exceptionally great or excellent. I had a whale of a time at Pete's wedding—I danced all night long!
2. An exceptionally large. Remodeling the kitchen will make a whale of a difference in the selling price of the home.
have a whale of a (good) time
To have an exceptionally fun, exciting, or amusing experience. Gee, Samantha, I sure had a whale of a time at the dance with you last night. We should go out again sometime! Come out to our party this weekend, you're sure to have a whale of a good time!
whale on (someone or something)
1. To attack or thrash something in an brutal, forceful, or relentless manner. He stood there whaling on the wall with a sledgehammer, but he barely seemed to be making a dent in it. She began whaling on the poor child until a police officer finally intervened. The other team whaled on us for the entire game, leading to one of our most humiliating defeats of the season.
2. To criticize, rebuke, or verbally assault someone or something vehemently or relentlessly. The interviewer suddenly began whaling on the politician over his alleged ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The boss whaled on us for the entirety of the meeting because of our failure to meet our sales quota.
whale into (someone or something)
1. To attack or thrash something in an brutal, forceful, or relentless manner. He stood there whaling into the wall with a sledgehammer, but he barely seemed to be making a dent in it. She began whaling into the poor child until a police officer finally intervened. The other team whaled into us for the entire game, leading to one of our most humiliating defeats of the season.
2. To criticize, rebuke, or verbally assault someone or something vehemently or relentlessly. The interviewer suddenly began whaling into the politician over his alleged ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The boss whaled into us for the entirety of the meeting because of our failure to meet our sales quota.
See also: whale
whale away at (someone or something)
1. To attack or thrash something in an brutal, forceful, or relentless manner. He stood there whaling away at the wall with a sledgehammer, but he barely seemed to be making a dent in it. She began whaling away at the poor child until a police officer finally intervened. The other team whaled away at us for the entire game, leading to one of our most humiliating defeats of the season.
2. To criticize, rebuke, or verbally assault someone or something vehemently or relentlessly. The interviewer suddenly began whaling away at the politician over his alleged ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The boss whaled away at us for the entirety of the meeting because of our failure to meet our sales quota.
(as) fat as a beached whale
offensive Of a person, exceptionally obese. I love going to the beach, but I'm going to look like as fat as a beached whale in this swimsuit.
have a whale of a time
Fig. to have an exciting or fun time; to have a big time. (Whale is a way of saying big.) We had a whale of a time at Sally's birthday party. Enjoy your vacation! I hope you have a whale of a time.
whale into (someone or an animal)
Fig. to attack or punish someone or an animal. Jimmy's dad really whaled into him. The sailor whaled into the dog.
See also: whale
whale the tar out of someone
Inf. to spank or beat someone. (See also beat the living daylights out of someone.) 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.
whale away
Attack physically or verbally, as in Our boys whaled away at the enemy, or The talk-show host whaled away at the hostile critics. The word whale here does not allude to the ocean mammal, but means "flog" or "thrash." [Mid-1800s]
whale of a time
A very enjoyable experience, as in We had a whale of a time in Puerto Rico. This idiom alludes to the largest mammal to describe something very large and impressive. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
have a whale of a time
INFORMALIf you have a whale of a time, you enjoy yourself a lot. I had a whale of a time in London. Kids of all ages will have a whale of a time at the water park.
a whale of a —
an extremely good example of a particular thing. informal 1993 Chicago Tribune This stuffed-shirt epitome of the East Coast Establishment of his day had a whale of a time at Chicago's World's Fair.
have a ˈwhale of a time
(informal) enjoy yourself very much; have a very good time: The children had a whale of a time at the beach and didn’t want to go home.whale into
v.
To strike or attack something or someone forcefully: The batter whaled into the baseball. The politician whaled into the press for their inaccurate reporting.
See also: whale
whale on
v.
1. To strike or hit someone or something repeatedly and forcefully; thrash someone or something: The street gangs whaled on each other until someone called the police.
2. To criticize someone vehemently: Our boss whaled on all of us for missing the deadline.
(as) fat as a beached whale
phr. very, very fat. That dame is as fat as a beached whale.
fat as a beached whale
verbhave a whale of a time
tv. to have an exciting time; to have a big time. We had a whale of a time at your party.
whale
1. n. a very fat person. (Cruel.) Britney is getting to be such a whale.
2. n. a drunkard; a person with an enormous capacity for liquor. Arthur is getting to be a regular whale. What does he drink?
3. n. a high roller in a casino or similar gambling setting. We take good care of our whales, comping them with anything they ask for.
whale into someone/something
in. to attack someone or something. Jimmy’s dad really whaled into him.
whale on
mod. excellent. (Possibly confused with or in error for wailing.) We had a whale on time at Bob’s house.
whale the tar out of someone
tv. to spank or beat someone. (Sometimes said to a child.) My father threatened to whale the tar out of me.