whammy

IPA/ˈwæmi/
KK[wˈæmi]IPA/ˈwæmi/

whammy — noun

  • whammysingular
  • whammiesplural

1. a type of curse that uses supernatural means to cause bad luck or misfortune for

1.名詞B2
釋義

a type of curse that uses supernatural means to cause bad luck or misfortune for a particular person or group

例句

According to local legend, a whammy placed on the land long ago still brings bad luck to farmers.

whammy + placed on [someone/something]

When Inês saw her crops failing again, she feared a whammy had been put on her family.

put a whammy on [someone]

同義詞
  • hex

    more specific to folk magic of the American South and Pennsylvania Dutch traditions

  • jinx

    less severe — suggests minor bad luck rather than a deliberate curse

  • curse

    broader and more serious; can be religious or supernatural, not necessarily informal

文法句型

a whammy

put a whammy on [someone/something]

the whammy

用法筆記

Often used humorously or in storytelling. The expression 'put a whammy on someone' is the most common grammatical pattern for this sense.

常見錯誤

❌He put a whammy on his friend by hiding his keys.
✅He put a whammy on his opponent by cursing him.
💡A whammy is a supernatural curse, not a practical joke.
❌The witch gave him a whammy spell.
✅The witch put a whammy on him.
💡'Whammy' is a noun, not an adjective; use the 'put a whammy on' pattern.

2. a harmful set of circumstances that creates serious difficulty, especially when

2.名詞B2
釋義

a harmful set of circumstances that creates serious difficulty, especially when several problems happen at once

例句

The factory closure was a double whammy for the town: hundreds lost jobs and the local shops closed too.

collocation: double whammy + for [someone/something]

Rising rent and a sudden pay cut hit Brandon with a whammy he could not escape.

hit [someone] with a whammy

同義詞
  • setback

    more formal; does not carry the idea of multiple problems combining

  • blow

    suggests a single damaging event rather than a combined effect

  • one-two punch

    similar metaphor for two sequential difficulties, slightly more informal

文法句型

a whammy

double whammy

triple whammy

a [adjective] whammy

用法筆記

By far the most common use is the fixed phrase 'double whammy', meaning two bad things happening at once. The word can stand alone ('a whammy') or combine with numbers ('triple whammy'). This sense is purely metaphorical — no supernatural element is implied.

常見錯誤

❌The news was a double whammy of good results.
✅The news was a double whammy of bad results.
💡A whammy always refers to something negative, never positive.
❌We faced a whammy when the computer crashed.' (too vague)
✅We faced a whammy when both the computer crashed and our backup failed.
💡The word is most effective when describing combined or compounding problems.