body blow
2
7.3
- noun
:
golpe emocional
- Though I realized some years ago that humanity isn't going to the stars—not now, not in the lifetime of our species—the end of the shuttle program with no replacement in sight still hit me like a body blow.
- take a body blow
Examples
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Regardless of how they try to spin it, the agenda of Obama and the Democrat Congress took a serious body blow last night.
Blog text (21) -
Losing the championship game was a body blow to the team's morale, making it hard for them to recover.
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It's been a body blow for all of us.
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And for the last three and a half years, we've been fighting to recover from the body blow that we took.
Blog text (3) -
So I too felt a bit of a body blow as I listened to the radio reports about the last shuttle mission a few weeks ago.
Blog text (4) -
And I don't know if I can withstand another body blow like this.
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The screener's face dropped, and she appeared stunned, as if my question had been received like a body blow.
Blog text (25) -
The scandal was a major body blow to the company's reputation and left many employees disheartened.
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The unexpected news of the layoffs came as a body blow to the staff, who were already facing tough times.
Synonyms
567
2.3
A sudden strong feeling of surprise and distress after an unexpected event
184
4.4
A sudden event that causes disappointment or trouble
8
8.8
A serious event that causes great trouble or loss
4
6.3
A sudden change in life or work that feels unpleasant and hard to handle
3
7.4
A very bad disappointment that makes you feel hurt and unfairly treated
1
8.0
A sudden strong feeling of shock and disappointment from bad news
News that makes you feel very sad and shocked
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
body + blow
The phrase derives from the literal idea of a physical 'blow' to the 'body' and is used metaphorically to mean a serious setback or emotional shock. Because 'blow' already has a figurative sense of 'setback' and the composition is a straightforward metaphorical extension, learners who know both words can often infer the general meaning, but the shift from physical to figurative impact makes it not fully predictable.
Etymology
The phrase body blow comes from boxing: a heavy blow to the body can take your breath away and leave you stunned. So today a body blow means an event that hits someone hard and causes a big 'shock' or 'setback'.