punch

punch¹

—puncher, n.

/punch/, n.

1. a thrusting blow, esp. with the fist.

2. forcefulness, effectiveness, or pungency in content or appeal; power; zest: a letter to voters that needs more punch.

3. pull punches,

a. to lessen deliberately the force of one's blows.

b. Informal. to act with restraint or hold back the full force or implications of something: He wasn't going to pull any punches when he warned them of what they would be up against.

4. roll with the punches, Informal. to cope with and survive adversity: In the business world you quickly learn to roll with the punches.

v.t.

5. to give a sharp thrust or blow to, esp. with the fist.

6. Western U.S. and Western Canada. to drive (cattle).

7. to poke or prod, as with a stick.

8. Informal. to deliver (lines in a play, a musical passage, or the like) with vigor.

9. to strike or hit in operating: to punch the typewriter keys.

10. to put into operation with or as if with a blow: to punch a time clock.

11. Baseball. to hit (the ball) with a short, chopping motion rather than with a full swing: He punched a soft liner just over third base for a base hit.

v.i.

12. to give a sharp blow to a person or thing, as with the fist: The boxer punches well.

13. punch away, Informal. to keep trying or working, esp. in difficult or discouraging circumstances; persevere: punching away at the same old job.

14. punch in,

a. to record one's time of arrival at work by punching a time clock.

b. to keyboard (information) into a computer: to punch in the inventory figures.

15. punch out,

a. to record one's time of departure from work by punching a time clock.

b. Slang. to beat up or knock out with the fists.

c. to extract (information) from a computer by the use of a keyboard: to punch out data on last week's sales.

d. to bail out; eject from an aircraft.

16. punch up,

a. to call up (information) on a computer by the use of a keyboard: to punch up a list of hotel reservations.

b. Informal. to enliven, as with fresh ideas or additional material: You'd better punch up that speech with a few jokes.

[1350-1400; ME punchen (v.); appar. var. of POUNCE¹]

Syn. 5. strike, hit; drub, pummel.

punch²

—punchable, adj.

/punch/, n.

1. a tool or machine for perforating or stamping materials, driving nails, etc.

2. the solid upper die of a punch press, used with a hollow die to blank out shaped pieces of sheet metal or the like.

v.t.

3. to cut, stamp, pierce, perforate, form, or drive with a tool or machine that punches.

v.i.

4. to work at or on something with or as if with a mechanical punch.

[1495-1505; short for PUNCHEON², reinforced by PUNCH¹]

punch³

/punch/, n.

1. a beverage consisting of wine or spirits mixed with fruit juice, soda, water, milk, or the like, and flavored with sugar, spices, etc.

2. a beverage of two or more fruit juices, sugar, and water, sometimes carbonated.

[1625-35; of uncert. orig.]

* * *

I

English illustrated periodical published 1841–1992 and revived in 1996 with a revised format.

Initially a weekly radical paper, it became famous for its satiric humour, caricatures, and cartoons. Among its famous early staff members were William Thackeray and John Tenniel. A cover drawing by Richard Doyle was used continuously from 1849 to 1956, when each issue's cover was made different, though the traditional figures of Punch and his dog Toby usually appeared somewhere.

II

Hooknosed, humpbacked character in marionette and puppet shows (see puppetry).

Adapted from a stock character of the commedia dell'arte, the puppet character was taken to France and England by Italian puppeteers in the 1660s. By 1700 every English puppet show featured Punch (from Punchinello) and his wife, Judy. As marionettes became less popular in the 1790s, smaller glove puppets were used in the popular Punch-and-Judy play. The hooked nose and the brutal, vindictive, and deceitful behaviour of the English Punch were established characteristics by the 19th century. In France his popularity declined during the 19th and 20th centuries, and he disappeared there as a comic figure. Puppeteers in England have carried on the tradition of Punch-and-Judy shows.

* * *

▪ British periodical

in full  Punch, or the London Charivari 

      English illustrated periodical published from 1841 to 1992 and 1996 to 2002, famous for its satiric humour and caricatures and cartoons. The first editors, of what was then a weekly radical paper, were Henry Mayhew, Mark Lemon, and Joseph Stirling Coyne. Among the most famous early members of the staff were the authors William Makepeace Thackeray (Thackeray, William Makepeace) and Thomas Hood (Hood, Thomas) and the illustrator-cartoonists John Leech (Leech, John) and Sir John Tenniel (Tenniel, Sir John).

      The cover drawing by Richard Doyle (Doyle, Richard) was used from 1849 until 1956, when each issue's cover was made different and printed in colour, although the traditional figures of Punch and his dog Toby usually appeared somewhere. By the 1990s the magazine had lost its satiric bite and most of its readership, and it ceased publication in April 1992. It was revived in September 1996 but financial difficulties continued, and the magazine closed in May 2002.

▪ India

also spelled  Poonch 

      town, western Jammu and Kashmir state, far northwestern India. It is situated near the line of control between the Indian- and Pakistani-administered portions of the Kashmir region. The town is connected via Haji Pir pass with Uri to the north. Agriculture (corn [maize], wheat, and rice) vies with mining (petroleum, coal, and limestone) in the economy of the region. Pop. (2001) 23,978.

▪ puppet character

in full  Punchinello , Italian  Pulcinella 

      hooknosed, humpbacked character, the most popular of marionettes and glove puppets and the chief figure in the Punch-and-Judy puppet show. Brutal, vindictive, and deceitful, he is usually at odds with authority.

      His character had roots in the Roman clown and the comic country bumpkin. More modern origins can be traced to Pulcinella, a character who appeared in the Italian (Italy) commedia dell'arte in the 17th century. It is not certain who was the first Pulcinella, although claims have been made on behalf of Silvio Fiorillo, a professional comedian who was performing at the beginning of the 17th century. In early pictorial representations, he is depicted as large, shambling, and stupid-looking, dressed in a loose white shirt and very full trousers.

      The Italian actors soon began to travel throughout Europe, bringing with them the puppet showmen. Polichinelle, the French adaptation of the character Pulcinella, became firmly established in France by the middle of the 17th century. The origin of the grotesque, humpbacked, and hooknosed marionette Polichinelle may have resulted from a fusion of the Italian character Pulcinella with an earlier French tradition of humpbacked fools.

      A similar tradition of the humpbacked fool existed in England when the first Italian puppeteers arrived after the restoration of Charles II in 1660. Two years later, the first references to Punchinello, soon shortened to Punch, appeared in the writings of the English diarist Samuel Pepys. By 1700 practically every puppet show in England featured Punch, and his wife, Judy, originally called Joan, was also a well-known figure. Traveling showmen carried these plays to country wakes (festivals) in the summer and visited London for the fairs in August and September. Early in the 18th century Punch became famous in political circles through the use of the name by Martin Powell, a marionette showman, in a scurrilous attack on Robert Harley entitled A Second Tale of a Tub (1715).

      In the 1790s the marionettes lost their popularity at the fairs. There was, however, a new interest in the humbler glove puppets, and in this form the Punch-and-Judy play became a success. Plots varied, but the principal players were Toby the Dog, the Baby, the Doctor, the Negro Servant, the Beadle, the Clown, the Hangman, the Ghost of Judy, Mr. Jones, Hector the Horse, the Crocodile, and the Devil. The hooked nose, the humped back, the tendency to wife beating and outrageous lawlessness typical of the English Punch were established characteristics by the 19th century. Punch featured in the harlequinades that accompanied 18th- and 19th-century pantomimes.

      In England in the second half of the 20th century, more than 50 professional puppeteers carried on the vigorous tradition of Punch's humour. His influence survived in such common phrases as “pleased as Punch.” His antics continued to feature domestic abuse, lawlessness, and antiauthoritarianism mixed with bald-faced misogyny despite receiving increasing criticism.

      In France the puppet Polichinelle had a similar history. His popularity, however, declined during the 19th and 20th centuries, and he has disappeared as a comic figure, being replaced by Guignol. Other puppets have developed from the same origins as Punch, such as Petrushka (Petrouchka) in Russia.

* * *