poleaxing
Knocking out cold
Poleaxing is the present participle of poleaxe, a verb meaning to strike down or stun as if with a poleaxe—a heavy medieval weapon combining an axe blade with a spike or hammer.
The term appears most often in its figurative sense, describing something that hits with overwhelming force: The news of her resignation left the staff poleaxed.
To be poleaxed is to be utterly stunned, knocked senseless either physically or emotionally.
Axe-headed infantry pike
- battle-axeHeavy bladed war tool
- polearmLong-shafted combat weapon
- glaiveBladed polearm weapon
- billhookCurved vegetation-cutting blade
pike · partisan · mace · axehead · shaft · cleave · swing · medieval
Move air forcefully
- smashBreak violently apart
- slamForceful impact or closure
- wallopForceful strike or defeat
- thumpHeavy dull blow
whack · knock · bash · pummel · bludgeon · cleave · fell · flatten
Daze by force
- cattleDomesticated bovines kept commercially
- abattoirMeat processing facility
- slaughterhouseAnimal killing facility
- butcherOne who sells cuts
livestock · dispatch · humane · meatpacking · stockyard · killing · processing
Daze by force
- stupefactionMental numbness from shock
- dumbfoundShock into silence
- flabbergastShock into speechlessness
- astonishmentIntense sudden wonder
bewilderment · speechless · thunderstruck · floored · gobsmacked · daze · blindside · overwhelm
halberd
Axe-headed infantry pike
- battle-axeHeavy bladed war tool
- polearmLong-shafted combat weapon
- glaiveBladed polearm weapon
billhook · pike · partisan · mace · axehead · shaft · cleave · swing · medieval · armoury
blow
Move air forcefully
thump · whack · knock · bash · pummel · bludgeon · cleave · fell · flatten · drop
stun
Daze by force
- cattleDomesticated bovines kept commercially
- abattoirMeat processing facility
- slaughterhouseAnimal killing facility
butcher · livestock · dispatch · humane · meatpacking · stockyard · killing · processing
stun
Daze by force
- stupefactionMental numbness from shock
- dumbfoundShock into silence
- flabbergastShock into speechlessness
astonishment · bewilderment · speechless · thunderstruck · floored · gobsmacked · daze · blindside · overwhelm · disbelief
poleaxingreviving
Restoring vitality or consciousness
resuscitating · invigorating · awakening · energizing · rousing