clobber

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈklɒb.ə(ɹ)/ (UK); /ˈklɑb.ɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.^[2][3][4][5] It may be imitative.^[6][3] An older slang clobber about clothing and patching (19th century) seems to be a separate word,^[3][7] perhaps from a cobblers' paste of the same name.^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

To bomb or hit hard, in British air force slang (1941; 1944 in the OED).^[6][3][7]

Semantic evolution

In the Second World War it meant to bomb heavily or shoot down,^[6][3][7] and was soon used of any heavy beating or overwhelming defeat,^[7][4] and of harsh criticism.^[7][2] In computing it means to overwrite data, often by accident.^[1] The earlier word clobber was British slang for clothes (1879)^[7][4] and also meant to patch old clothes and shoes (1851).^[7][3]

Timeline

• 1851 – to patch up, cobble (separate word).^[7]
• 1879 – noun, clothes (separate word).^[7][4]
• 1941 – to bomb, in British air force slang.^[6][3]
• 1944 – to hit, beat up, defeat, criticize.^[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To strike hard and repeatedly; to batter.
2. To defeat decisively.
3. To criticize harshly.
4. To affect badly, as a recession does a business.
5. (computing) To overwrite data, often unintentionally.

Noun

1. (British slang) Clothes or gear.

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press