Word of the day: Sockdolager

Sockdolager

[sahk-DOL-e-jər]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English, mid-19th century

1.An exceptional person or thing.

2.A forceful blow.

Examples of sockdolager in a sentence

"All of the nominees tonight are well-accomplished sockdolagers."

"The baseball hit Randy with a sockdolager that knocked the wind out of him."

About Sockdolager

It's believed that "sockdolager" developed as a fanciful formation from "sock." How the word became associated with an exceptional person or a forceful blow is unknown.

Did you Know?

To find a sockdolager, you need not look much further than the Nobel Prizes. People who qualify for nomination are exceptional in their actions and impact, and have found a way to contribute to humanity’s progress in a particular field. Some notable recipients include activist Malala Yousafzai, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna, chemists who invented genome editing tools.