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noun

Broderick

noun
1
A severe beating or thrashing.
"He threatened to give the burglar a broderick if he ever came back."
"The old slang term describes a proper hiding, not just a light scuffle."
verb
1
To give someone a severe beating.
"The gang threatened to broderick anyone who talked to the police."
"He got brodericked outside the pub after the argument got out of hand."

How to Use Broderick

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAs slang, a broderick is a serious beating — to broderick someone means to beat them up badly.

Common mistake

Don't confuse this slang sense with the common surname Broderick (as in actor Matthew Broderick) — context makes it obvious which is meant.

When to use it

Very informal and dated British/Irish slang; most readers will only know Broderick as a surname or first name.

Word Forms

brodericked past tense, brodericks plural, brodericks singular

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He threatened to give the burglar a _____ if he ever came back.

Etymology

Broderick is originally an Anglicised Irish/Welsh surname; the slang verb and noun sense (meaning a beating) grew out of British and Irish underworld slang, likely from rhyming-slang-style wordplay rather than any connection to a real person named Broderick.

Rhymes for Broderick

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial