different between knockout vs sockdolager

English

Alternative forms

• knock-out

Etymology

From knock out.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?n?ka?t/

Noun

knockout (plural knockouts)

1. The act of making someone unconscious, or at least unable to come back on their feet within a certain period of time; a TKO.

   The boxer scored a knockout on his opponent.

2. The deactivation of anything.
   • 1989, Network World (6 February 1989, page 82)

     Pull the plug on a node to see how the network handles a node knockout.

3. (informal) Something wildly popular, entertaining, or funny.

   If you've ever had a sack race, you know it's a real knockout for kids and adults alike.

4. (informal) A very attractive person, especially a beautiful woman.
   • 1995, Rhonda K. Reinholtz et al., "Sexual Discourse and Sexual Intercourse," in P. J. Kalbfleisch and M. J. Cody, eds., Gender, Power, and Communications in Human Relationships, p. 150,

     Phrases such as "she bowled me over," "she's striking," and "she's a knockout" suggest that the woman affects the man in ways he cannot mediate or control.

5. A partially punched opening meant for optional later removal.

   They left a knockout in the panel for running extra wires someday.

6. (genetics) The deactivation of a particular gene.
7. (genetics) A creature engineered with a particular gene deactivated.
8. (printing) An event where a foreground color causes a background color not to print.
9. (sports) A tournament in which a team or player must beat the opponent in order to progress to the next round.

   the knockout stages of the competition
10. (uncountable) A simple game for two or more players, derived from basketball.
11. Short for knockout auction.

Derived terms

• knockout auction
• knockout drop
• knockout game
• knockout mouse
• knockout rat
• knockout whist

Descendants

• Portuguese: nocaute
• Spanish: nocaut

Translations

Adjective

knockout (not comparable)

1. Rendering someone unconscious.

   He delivered a knockout blow.

2. Amazing; gorgeous; beautiful.

   You should have seen her knockout eyes.

3. (genetics) Designating an organism in which a particular gene has been removed or deactivated.
   • 1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial 2004, p. 255:

     The result is a so-called knockout mouse, reared with a single gene silenced, the better to reveal that gene's true purpose.

4. Causing elimination from a competition
   • 2012, Ben Smith, Leeds United 2-1 Everton [2]

     Rodolph Austin delivered the knockout blow from close range 20 minutes from time, after Aidan White had given Leeds a dream start after four minutes.

Translations

Related terms

• knock one's socks off
• knock out
• technical knockout, TKO

English

Etymology

Unknown, 1827 US, presumably fanciful variant of sock (“to hit”); compare contemporary fanciful American coinages.

Various speculative etymologies have been suggested, such as corruption of doxology, due to this occurring at the end of church worship, hence “finality”.

Noun

sockdolager (plural sockdolagers)

1. (US, slang, dated) a hard hit, a knockout or finishing blow, or conclusive argument.
   • 1831, James Kirke Paulding, Lion of the West:

     He’ll come off as badly as a feller I once hit a sledge hammer lick over the head—a real sogdolloger.

   • 1838, James Fenimore Cooper, Home as Found:

     There is but one ‘sogdollager’ in the universe, and that is in Lake Oswego.

   • 1859, Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms

     "I gave the fellow a socdolager over his head with the barrel of my gun,"

   • 1884, Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 20.

     The thunder would go rumbling and grumbling away, and quit—and then rip comes another flash and another sockdologer.

2. (US, slang, dated) Something large or otherwise exceptional; a whopper.
   • 1953, Ray Bradbury, The Murderer:

     Hey, Al, thought I'd call you from the locker room out here at Green Hills. Just made a sockdolager hole in one! A hole in one, Al! (etc.)

3. (US, fishing) A combination of two hooks which close upon each other, by means of a spring, as soon as the fish bites.

Alternative forms

• sockdologer
• sogdolloger

Derived terms

• sockdologizing

See also

• Appendix:Fanciful 19th century American coinages

References