sucker punch
An unexpected punch or similar blow, on an opponent who is off guard or not activeAn unexpected punch or similar blow, on an opponent who is off guard or not active.
» Tom tried to sucker punch John.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 senses(also, figuratively)An unexpected punch or similar blow, on an opponent who is off guard or not active.
an unexpected punch
A disabling punch targeting a place which is not normally acceptable in a "fair fight", such as on the back of the head.
An unprovoked or unwarranted blow with the fist.
Examples
3 sentencesTom tried to sucker punch John.
It's a sucker punch.
Tom sucker punched his opponent.
ruТом исподтишка нанёс удар своему противнику. — ZegPhig
Origin
American English, from sucker (“dupe”) + punch.American English, from sucker (“dupe”) + punch.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: sucker punchesSynonyms
1 synonymsWord family
2 related wordsSee also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.