bludgeon

views updated May 29 2018

bludg·eon / ˈbləjən/ • n. a thick stick with a heavy end, used as a weapon: fig. a rhetorical bludgeon in the war against liberalism.• v. [tr.] beat (someone) repeatedly with a bludgeon or other heavy object. ∎  force or bully (someone) to do something: she was determined not to be bludgeoned into submission.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

bludgeon

views updated May 18 2018

bludgeon heavy-headed stick. XVIII. of unkn. orig.
Hence as vb. XIX.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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bludgeon

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