punch

punch¹

verb

1》 strike with the fist.

2》 press (a button or key on a machine).

    ↘(punch in or out) N. Amer. (of an employee) clock in (or out).

3》 N. Amer. drive (cattle) by prodding them with a stick.

noun

1》 a blow with the fist.

2》 informal effectiveness; impact.

Phrases

punch above one's weight informal engage in an activity perceived as beyond one's abilities.

punch the clock N. Amer. (of an employee) clock in or out.

Derivatives

puncher noun

Origin

ME (in the sense 'puncture, prod'): var. of pounce¹.

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punch²

noun

1》 a device or machine for making holes in materials such as paper and metal.

2》 a tool or machine for impressing a design or stamping a die on a material.

verb pierce a hole in (a material) with or as if with a punch.

↘pierce (a hole) in this way.

Origin

C16: perh. an abbrev. of puncheon¹, or from punch¹.

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punch³

noun a drink made from wine or spirits mixed with water, fruit juices, spices, etc.

Origin

C17: appar. from Sanskrit pañca 'five, five kinds of' (because the drink had five ingredients).

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punch⁴

noun

1》 (Punch) a grotesque, hook-nosed humpbacked buffoon, the chief male character of the Punch and Judy puppet show.

2》 (also Suffolk punch) a draught horse of a short-legged thickset breed.

Phrases

as pleased (or proud) as Punch feeling great delight or pride.

Origin

C17: abbrev. of Punchinello; sense 2 derives from a dialect term denoting a short, fat person.