lambaste

English

WOTD – 14 June 2007

Alternative forms

• lambast (UK)
• lamblast (US)

Etymology

First attested in 1637. Probably lam (“beat”) +‎ baste (“beat”)

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /læmˈbeɪst/, /læmˈbæst/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪst
• Rhymes: -æst

Verb

lambaste (third-person singular simple present lambastes, present participle lambasting, simple past and past participle lambasted)

1. To scold, reprimand or criticize harshly.

   Synonyms: berate, scold, tell off; see also Thesaurus:criticize

   The sergeant lambasted the new recruits daily.

   Her first novel was well and truly lambasted by the critics.

   • 2008 January 21, James Carroll, “Carroll: Islamofascism's ill political wind”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     It braces the talk not only of pundits, but of all the major Republican candidates - from the tough guy at one end, Rudy Giuliani, who lambastes Democrats for not using the word or its equivalent, to the "nice" candidate at the other end, Mike Huckabee, who defines Islamofascism as "the greatest threat this country [has] ever faced."

   • 2013 January 19, Paul Harris, “Lance Armstrong faces multi-million dollar legal challenges after confession”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Indeed, part of the problem was that Armstrong was rowing back on so much previous behaviour and years of aggressive lambasting of reporters, officials and team-mates who had claimed he was doping. "I don't forgive Lance Armstrong, who lied to me in two interviews. And I suspect most of America won't, either," Kurtz wrote.

   • 2023 August 9, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Disinterested and dishonest”, in RAIL, number 989, page 3:

     Labour frontbencher Louise Haigh (Shadow Transport Secretary for heaven's sake!) initially lambasted TOCs before the handful of specialist rail commentators fell on her tweets and she changed her tune, refocusing her fire on Government.

2. (dated in UK English but not US English) To give a thrashing to; to beat severely.

   Synonyms: beat, hit, thrash; see also Thesaurus:hit

Translations

to scold or verbally reprimand

• Bikol Central: tabuga (bcl)
• Bulgarian: наругавам (bg) (narugavam), нахоквам (bg) (nahokvam)
• Czech: kritizovat (cs) impf, zkritizovat (cs) pf, napadat (cs) impf
• Dutch: berispen (nl), uitschelden (nl), afkraken (nl)
• Finnish: läksyttää (fi), haukkua (fi), ojentaa (fi)
• French: blamer (fr), reprimander (fr), gronder (fr)
• Galician: criticar (gl), censurar (gl), reprobar (gl)
• German: beschimpfen (de), zurechtweisen (de), schelten (de), ermahnen (de), angreifen (de), attackieren (de)
• Norwegian: skjelle ut
• Persian: به باد انتقاد گرفتن (be bâd-e enteqâd gereftan)
• Russian: раскритикова́ть (ru) pf (raskritikovátʹ), обруга́ть (ru) pf (obrugátʹ), отчита́ть (ru) pf (otčitátʹ), вздрю́чить (ru) pf (vzdrjúčitʹ)
• Spanish: reprender (es), vituperar (es)
• Swedish: skälla ut (sv)

to give a thrashing to

• Bulgarian: напердашвам (bg) (naperdašvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 痛打 (zh) (tòngdǎ)

• Czech: bít (cs) impf, zbít pf, mlátit (cs) impf, zmlátit pf
• Dutch: iemand aframmelen, iemand een pandoering geven
• Finnish: pieksää (fi), kurittaa (fi)
• French: tabasser (fr), rouer de coups (fr), battre quelqu’un
• German: verdreschen (de), verprügeln (de), vermöbeln (de), fertigmachen (de), fertig machen
• Russian: поколоти́ть (ru) pf (pokolotítʹ), отлупи́ть (ru) pf (otlupítʹ), отдуба́сить (ru) pf (otdubásitʹ), вздрю́чить (ru) pf (vzdrjúčitʹ), зада́ть трёпку pf (zadátʹ trjópku)
• Swedish: klå upp (sv)

Anagrams

• blastema, balm teas, labmates