Lam

Word of the Day for Friday, August 2, 2013

Lam \lam\, verb:

1. to beat; thrash.
2. to beat; strike; thrash (usually followed by out or into).

Like kingpins, one steel tier lammed into another, then they all crashed to the floor with a sound as of the roof falling.
-- Richard Wright, Black Boy, 1945

That was just before he lammed out—the time he knocked off that crumb from uptown. I remember once when Harry cut up a guy so bad, the guy couldn't walk.
-- Ed McBain, Learning to Kill, 2006

Lam likely finds its roots in the Old Norse lemja meaning "to lame." It entered English in the late 16th century.

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com