different between switch vs whack

English

Etymology

Perhaps from Middle Dutch swijch (“twig”). First known use in c. 1592.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sw?ch, IPA^(key): /sw?t?/
• Rhymes: -?t?

Noun

switch (plural switches)

1. A device to turn electric current on and off or direct its flow.
2. A change or exchange.
3. (rail transport, US) A movable section of railroad track which allows the train to be directed down one of two destination tracks; (set of) points.
4. A slender woody plant stem used as a whip; a thin, flexible rod, associated with corporal punishment in the United States.
   • 2007, Jeffrey W. Hamilton, Raising Godly Children in a Wicked World, Lulu.com, page 15:

     "A proper switch is a slim, flexible branch off a tree or a bush. A switch applied to the buttocks stings fiercely. It may leave red marks or bruises, but it causes no lasting damage.."

5. (music) Synonym of rute.
6. (computer science) A command line notation allowing specification of optional behavior.

   Use the /b switch to specify black-and-white printing.

7. (computing, programming) A programming construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression.
   • 2004, "Curt", Can I use IF statements, and still use switches? (on newsgroup microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields)
8. (computing, networking) A networking device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously, when possible. Compare to the less efficient hub device that solely duplicates network packets to each wire.
9. (telecommunications) A system of specialized relays, computer hardware, or other equipment which allows the interconnection of a calling party's telephone line with any called party's line.
10. (genetics) A mechanism within DNA that activates or deactivates a gene.
11. (BDSM) One who is willing to take either a submissive or a dominant role in a sexual relationship.
    • 2012, Terri-Jean Bedford, Bondage Bungalow Fantasies (page 99)

      Ideally, if one of your ladies happens to be a switch (or would be willing to switch for this scene), I would love to be able to inflict a little "revenge tickling" as well, as part of a scenario.

12. (historical) A separate mass or tress of hair, or of some substance (such as jute) made to resemble hair, formerly worn on the head by women.

Synonyms

• (section of railroad track): (UK) points
• (whip): crop
• (command-line notation): flag, option, specifier

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

switch (third-person singular simple present switches, present participle switching, simple past and past participle switched)

1. (transitive) To exchange.

2. (transitive) To change (something) to the specified state using a switch.

3. (transitive, in modern times Southern US) To whip or hit with a switch.
4. (intransitive) To change places, tasks, etc.

5. (slang, intransitive) To get angry suddenly; to quickly or unreasonably become enraged.
6. To swing or whisk.

   to switch a cane

7. To be swung or whisked.

   The angry cat's tail switched back and forth.

8. To trim.

   to switch a hedge

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

9. To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; generally with off, from, etc.

   to switch off a train; to switch a car from one track to another

10. (ecclesiastical) To shift to another circuit.

Synonyms

• (to exchange): interchange, swap; See also Thesaurus:switch

Translations

Adjective

switch (not comparable)

1. (snowboarding) Pertaining to riding with the front and back feet swapped round compared to one's normal position.
2. (freestyle skiing) Pertaining to skiing backwards.

Coordinate terms

(snowboarding):

• goofy
• regular

Translations

See also

• switch off
• switch on

References

Further reading

• switch on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• switch (corporal punishment) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Noun

switch

1. (BDSM) switch

Declension

French

Etymology

English switch

Adjective

switch

1. (skiing, snowboarding) switch.

Portuguese

Etymology

From English switch.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?swit??/

Noun

switch m (plural switches or switch)

1. (networking) switch (device connecting multiple wires, allowing them to communicate simultaneously)
2. (computing) switch (command line notation allowing specification of optional behaviour)
3. (programming) switch (construct that takes different actions depending on the value of an expression)

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Originally Scottish. Probably onomatopoeic, although possibly a variant of thwack.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wæk/
• (without the wine–whine merger) IPA^(key): /?æk/
• Rhymes: -æk
• Homophone: wack (accents with the wine-whine merger)

Noun

whack (plural whacks)

1. The sound of a heavy strike.
2. The strike itself.
3. The stroke itself, regardless of its successful impact.
4. (US, slang) An attempt, a chance, a turn, a go, originally an attempt to beat someone or something.

   C'mon. Take a whack at it.

   40 bucks a whack.

5. (originally Britain cant, dated) A share, a portion, especially a full share or large portion.
   • 1906, Jack London, White Fang, New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Part 1, Chapter 2, p. 16,^[1]

     “It’s damned tame, whatever it is, comin’ in here at feedin’ time an’ gettin’ its whack of fish.”

   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, New York: Appleton, Chapter VII, page 108,^[2]

     “ […] O'Cannon's a taxpayer. He pays his whack towards the upkeep of the State School up in town—”

   • 1951, Katherine Mansfield, Letters to John Middleton Murry, 1913-1922,

     For one thing I had a splendid supper when I got on board—a whack of cold, lean beef and pighells, bread, butter ad lib., tea, and plenty of good bread.

   • 2014, Anthony Pritchard, Grand Prix Ferrari (page 203)

     There were problems over the installation of the engine and the handling. The team had paid top whack for the two Coopers, but the company gave them no help at all.

6. (obsolete) A whack-up: a division of an amount into separate whacks, a divvying up.
7. (US, obsolete) A deal, an agreement.
   • 1876, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Ch. vi, page 70:

     "I'll stay if you will."
     "Good—that's a whack."

   It's a whack!

8. (typography, computing, slang) The backslash, ??\??.

   del c:\docs\readme.txt

   Delete c colon whack docs whack readme dot text.

Derived terms

• full whack
• have a whack at
• out of whack
• take a whack at
• top whack
• wacky
• whack up, whack-up

Translations

Verb

whack (third-person singular simple present whacks, present participle whacking, simple past and past participle whacked)

1. To hit, slap or strike.
   • G. W. Cable

     Rodsmen were whacking their way through willow brakes.

2. (slang) To kill, bump off.
3. (transitive, slang) To share or parcel out (often with up).

   to whack the spoils of a robbery

   • 1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, London: G. Newbold, Volume 2, p. 152,

     When the sewer-hunters consider they have searched long enough […] the gang […] count out the money they have picked up, and proceed to dispose of the old metal, bones, rope, &c.; this done, they then, as they term it, “whack” the whole lot; that is, they divide it equally among all hands.

4. (sports) To beat convincingly; to thrash.
   • 2012, Ryan Pyette, Majors, Panthers play mind games, The London Free Press:

     The fidgety Majors were whacked 9-1 by the Kitchener Panthers at Couch and now trail their rivals 2-0 in an increasingly uncomfortable best-of-seven Intercounty Baseball League first-round series.

5. (Britain, chiefly in the negative) To surpass; to better.
   • 2012, Steve Cullen, Total Flyfisher:

     Recently I was over in Ireland, I love the place, proper fishing, can't whack it!

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:kill

Derived terms

• whack off
• whack the illy

Translations

Adjective

whack (comparative whacker, superlative whackest)

1. Alternative form of wack (“crazy”)

   That's whack, yo!

   • 2007, Joyce E. Davis, Can't Stop The Shine, page 51:

     As they joked about the big butts on female celebrities and what rappers had the whackest lyrics, Malcolm paid little attention to Kalia besides squeezing her hand or grabbing her arm to hold himself up […]

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "whack, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1923.