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[00:08.00]And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

[00:18.78]On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.

[00:25.18]We give definitions, examples and notes on usage.

[00:32.28]Today we talk about a word with an unusual history - whammy.

[00:40.31]A whammy can be a magical spell that brings bad luck.

[00:46.69]It can also be an attack or a damaging, destructive blow.

[00:52.75]A blow is an incident or event that hits you hard.

[00:58.47]So, one whammy is bad. But what happens when you have two?

[01:04.81]That is called a double whammy.

[01:09.08]People traditionally say they have been hit with a double whammy!"

[01:15.56]The online dictionary Merriam-Webster defines a double whammy as a combination of two usually unfavorable forces, circumstances, or effects.

[01:31.30]Two bad things happen at the same time to make something really unpleasant or difficult.

[01:38.91]It can also mean that two bad things happen consecutively, or one after the other.

[01:49.69]The origin of the expression is unclear.

[01:54.95]Some guess it comes from taking the word "wham" which describes a hard punch or blow and adding a -y ending which makes it sound funny.

[02:10.53]Others say the cartoonist Al Capp popularized the word whammy in his 1950s comic strip Li'l Abner.

[02:21.80]A character named Evil-Eye Fleegle could stop someone by simply looking at them.

[02:30.67]The single whammy was a look with one eye, and the feared double whammy used both eyes.

[02:40.45]Now, let's listen to the expression used in a sentence.

[02:46.87]Today, my friend Jonah lost his job.

[02:50.41]And then, on the way home, he fell and broke his leg.

[02:54.11]Talk about a double whammy! It has NOT been his best day.

[03:00.50]Here is another example of the expression double whammy.

[03:06.51]On their 3-hour hiking trip, the friends were hit with a double whammy.

[03:12.80]The first was a bad rainstorm.

[03:15.32]They were forced to take shelter in a cave.

[03:19.05]Then they realized the second bad thing.

[03:22.80]They left all their food and water in the car.

[03:27.02]There is another English expression that has a similar meaning - a one-two punch.

[03:35.03]The first punch is a difficult blow to take, but then the second one aims to finish the job.

[03:43.04]The expression comes from boxing where one punch is quickly followed by another from the other fist, or closed hand.

[03:55.50]A boxer using a one-two punch is trying to knock out their opponent or to score points.

[04:04.12]Both double whammy and one-two punch are informal expressions.

[04:11.14]One-two punch might be less popular than it once was.

[04:15.88]But double whammy appears in some surprising places in both American and British English.

[04:25.78]And that's Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo._____________________________

Words in This Story

spell -n. magic that used on a person, often to create a bad or damaging effect

circumstance -n. a situation

consecutively -adv. taking place one after another in a series

origin -n. the beginning point of something

punch -n. the act of striking with a closed hand, or fist

cartoonist -n. a person who draws simple pictures that tell stories

comic strip -n. a series of pictures telling, often funny, stories that appears in newspapers or books as a series that continues for a time

character -n. a person who appears in stories, plays, movies or TV who is not real

knock out -v. to strike a person so that they lose consciousness or cannot continue

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