haymaker

plural haymakers

1. agricultureA person or machine which harvests or prepares tall grass for use as animal fodder.

   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.

   1853, Charlotte M. Yonge, chapter 7, in The Heir of Redclyffe

2. informalA 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.

   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.

   1997 January 20, George Church, “Newt's Day of Deliverance”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Dec 2008

   1 more example

   The interview consisted of [Demis] Hassabis challenging [Joe] McDonagh to a series of games; he beat the candidate in a race to fold an origami bird, but decided not to test his left hook or his haymaker.

   2026, Sebastian Mallaby, “The Jedi”, in The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind and the Quest for Superintelligence, Penguin, →ISBN

3. broadlyfigurativelyAny decisive blow, shock, or forceful action.

   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.

   2007 June 18, Shawn Tully, “Private equity: End of the golden age?”, in CNN Money, archived from the original on 19 Sep 2007, retrieved 10 Sep 2008

   1 more example

   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.

   2023 February 10, Rob Smyth, “Pep Guardiola comes out swinging haymakers in all directions”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 Mar 2023

plural Haymakers

1. A surname.