Forms: 5 whappe, 6, 9 whap, 8– whop, (9 wap, wop). [Variant of WAP v.1: see WH.]
1. trans. To cast, pull out, etc., violently; to take or put suddenly. dial.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 4743. The grekes … With alblasteris also amyt full streght, Whappet in wharles, whellit the pepull.
14[?]. Sir Beues (N.), 1899. [Beues is swerd anon] out whappid.
1721. Ramsay, Ode to the Ph—, 55. Frae her fair Finger whop a Ring. Ibid. (1725), Gentle Sheph., III. ii. He … whops out a Book.
1829. Brockett, N. C. Gloss. (ed. 2), Whopt, Whupt, put, placed—embracing the idea of whipped. ‘He whopt his foot on’t.’
1904. Westm. Gaz., 19 Nov., 5/2. He just whopped up the papers out of my han’ an’ away wi’ him.
† b. intr. To beat, throb; = QUAP v. Obs.
c. 1440. Partonope, 6446 (Univ. Coll. MS.). His hert so sore ganne whappe tho.
2. trans. To strike with heavy blows; to beat soundly, flog, thrash, belabor (a person or animal; rarely, an inanimate object). colloq. or vulgar.
1575. Depos. Durham (Surtees), 292. The said James contynewed in his raidge, bragging and swerynge, and said that he wold ‘whapp his coott.’
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Whop, Whap, to beat severely.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., xxxv. ‘Ain’t nobody to be whopped for takin’ this here liberty, sir?’ said Mr. Weller.
1842. Lover, Handy Andy, xviii. Half a dozen strapping fellows carrying … tea-trays which they whopped after the manner of a Chinese gong.
1848. Thackeray, Bk. Snobs, xxvii. ‘If you’ll come across,… and take your coat off, I’le give you such a wapping as you’ve never had since the last time I did it’ … ‘Wap one of your own weight,’ Mr. Snapper said.
1869. W. S. Gilbert, ‘Bab’ Ball., Prince Agib, xv. I was fastened to the floor, While a mercenary wopped me with a will!
1890. Henty, With Lee in Virg., xviii. Mother would whop me if I came back without the basket.
b. fig. To overcome, vanquish, defeat utterly (with literal blows, or in a contest of any kind); hence, to surpass or excel greatly: = BEAT v.1 10. colloq. or vulgar.
1836. [Hooton], Bilberry Thurland, I. 342. He comed to be a reg’lar cock o’ th’ walk, for he whopped all th’ cocks they could bring to him.
1851. Kingsley, Yeast, ix. Fourteen men … as’ll play the whole vale to cricket, and whap them.
1865. J. Hatton, Bitter Sweets, iii. Nelson, as was a British General and wopped the French.
3. The vb.-stem used as adv.: With a ‘whop’; with a sudden movement or impact; ‘bump,’ ‘flop.’ Also as int.
1812. W. Tennant, Anster F., IV. xxix. Whap! there sinks another!
1870. E. Peacock, Ralf Skirl., xviii. In less time than you can think, wop comes a big black thing down … as big as the stone of a cheese-press.
1905. H. G. Wells, Kipps, I. vi. § 6. He sat on the edge of the bed in profound meditation, and his boots fell ‘whop’ and ‘whop’ upon the floor, with a long interval between each ‘whop.’
