haymaker

From Middle English heymakere; equivalent to hay +‎ maker.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈheɪmeɪkɚ/

• Audio (US):

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haymaker (plural haymakers)

1. (agriculture) A person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder.
   • 1853, Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 7, in The Heir of Redclyffe:

     A long rank of haymakers—men and women—proceeded with their rakes, the white shirt-sleeves, straw bonnets, and ruddy faces, radiant in the bath of sunshine.

2. (informal, fisticuffs) A particularly powerful punch, especially one which knocks down an opponent, thrown like a scythe chop for cutting hay, as agricultural haymakers used to have strong arms.
   • 1997 January 20, George Church, “Newt's Day of Deliverance”, in TIME‎^[1], archived from the original on 22 December 2008:

     The saga of Newt Gingrich's ethics suddenly resembles a brawl between blindfolded boxers who flail away so wildly that each lands a haymaker on his own jaw.

3. (figuratively, by extension) Any decisive blow, shock, or forceful action.
   • 2007 June 18, Shawn Tully, “Private equity: End of the golden age?”, in CNN Money‎^[2], archived from the original on 19 September 2007, retrieved 10 September 2008:

     The real potential haymaker for the industry is a proposal, now gaining support in Congress, that would tax the profits private equity reaps on selling companies not at the low cap gains rate, but at the regular income tax rate.

   • 2023 February 10, Rob Smyth, “Pep Guardiola comes out swinging haymakers in all directions”, in The Guardian‎^[3], archived from the original on 20 March 2023:

     Guardiola swung haymakers in all directions; he presented one of the world’s richest clubs as a noble, put-upon underdog; and he established a siege mentality with such coruscating precision that Football Daily instantly bet the farm on City winning the Premier League this season.

• “haymaker”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.