whale n.
1. an important or influential person.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Rambler’s Mag. Feb. 78/2: It is recommended to [ladies] who move within the frozen sphere of maidenhood not to throw away the gudgeons and small fry who are disposed to bite, in confidence that whales and large fish are at all times to be found in the seas of Lap-land. |
2. (US) an exceptionally large or fat person.
| Satirist (London) 17 June 197/2: A human whale—make room, make room! / He'll fill a dozen places. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Wanderings of a Vagabond 276: He’s a whale. If he’d had a fair start, now, he’d a cleared out that McGovern gang. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | ‘Mysie Brown’ in Laughing Songster 126: What lass e’er looked on Andrew Slight, / The wale of a’ in Murlingden. | |
| Torchy 53: Mr. Robert’s only fair sized; but old man Ellins is a whale. | |
| Manhattan Transfer 239: This is my kid brother Mike [...] Aint he a whale? | |
| Behind The Green Lights viii: A ‘whale’ of a man in physique and in heart. | |
| Banker Tells All 169: They were slim, clever hands – strangely disproportionate for such a whale of a man. | |
| Long Season 188: ‘Doc, tell, the Whale [i.e ‘Big Don Newcombe’] to get off the table so us regulars can rest a little bit’. | |
| (con. 1974) Times Square 253: The fuckin’ whale owes me twenty thousand. | |
| Guardian G2 29 Sept. 16: Seasoned gamblers refer to high-rollers like Packer [...] as ‘whales’. It’s an appropriate moniker for our 16-stone, six-foot-plus hero. |
3. an exceptional performer in any given discipline; also ironic use; thus a whale at/on; whale of a...
![[Ind]](/static/img/flags/ind.png "India") | Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Aug. 90/1: Learned am I in bullocks, cumlies, gram, / And as for Arrack, I’m a very Whale! | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Nov. 6/4: Master Ernest Hutcheson is a Victorian and a ‘whale’ at the pianny. A few years back a scene was set afoot to foster Ernest a musical taste at the expense of such as liked to come forward. | |
| ‘’Arry’s Visit to the Moon’ in Punch Christmas Number in (2006) 168: I’ve heard you’re a whale, Miss, at Sport! | |
| Red Badge of Courage (1964) 148: He’s th’ best off’cer in this here reg’ment. He’s a whale. | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Dec. 14/1: He strolled into a public bar and loudly called for beer; / He downed it with a gurgling sigh and scratched his off-side ear; / ‘I’m from the country, boys,’ he said, ‘and snakes, but ain’t I dry! / We’re reg’lar whales at sinking beer – us coves from Mungindi.’. | |
| Sun. Times (Perth) 20 Jan. 1/1: The Big Beer man of Bunbury is a whale on widders [and] his affection for those of the grass variety got him into trouble. | |
| Lonely Plough (1931) 72: I’m a whale at charities – you just ask Dandy Anne! | |
| Sun. Times (Perth) 25 June 1s/1: He was a whale on Limericks. | |
| (con. WWI) ‘An Argonne Raid’ in Mason Fighting American (1945) 477: Those two lads of mine are whales with hand grenades. | |
| Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 20 Aug. 11/2: Slanguage [...] Cross out the incorrect: word or phrase in the following sentences: [...] ‘Solomon was ’ot stuff (a doer) with the tabbies (tarts) and a fair cow (a whale) on the shicker (’ops)’. | |
| ‘Uncle Fred Flits By’ in Young Men in Spats 211: Nobody is more of a whale on correctness and not doing what’s not done than Pongo. |
4. (US, orig. campus) an exceptionally brilliant scholar.
| Bill Arp 172: Marks was a whale in his way. | |
| Fables in Sl. (1902) 73: The only thing that worried the Congregation was the Fear that if it wished to retain such a Whale it might have to Boost his Salary. | |
| Girl Proposition 115: She said that she had entertained more Whales than any other Woman along the Street. |
5. usu. as a whale for..., a fanatic, an obsessive, a fan of.
| Sporting Times 22 Nov. 1/5: He was a perfect whale on cutlers who advertised sharp razors. | |
| ‘Joseph’s Dreams and Reuben’s Brethren’ in Roderick (1967–9) II 103: ’Tis strange that Moses, such a whale / On details out of joint. | |
| City Of The World 174: I’m a regular whale for cake! | |
| Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Aug. 36/1: And he was never a whale for theology, so his position as a doctor of divinity would be anomalous. | |
| Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 61: You ain’t up to that donah yet. She’s a whale for reform. | |
| West. Mail (Perth) 27 May 43/1: She was a whale on chocs! | |
 | ‘The Chameleon’ in Bulletin 3 Novt. 4/1: You birds don’t need to be whales on racin’ history to know what won the Melbourne Cup in 1904. |
6. (US) an exceptionally heavy bettor.
| Super Casino 301: During the summer, casino manager Tom Robinson left for Taipei and Hong Kong to introduce himself to several wealthy Asian whales, or million-dollar bettors. | |
| (con. 1973) Johnny Porno 33: A friend of a friend of mine, some whale bets ten dimes a day. | |
| Bangs 200: Bangs and Strahl required big gamblers—aka ‘whales’—to pay half of the hefty price tag for their seats upon reservation. |
In phrases
1. someone who has money to spend and uses it on the assembled company.
| Williamstown Chron. (Aus.) 23 June 3/3: ‘Wanderer’, said the Editor, ‘there's whales in the bay’ ‘What brand?’ I innocently inquired, under the impression that he had been celebrating the receipt of an old subscriber's cheque. | |
| (ref. to 1930s) Grief, Gaiety and Aborigines 20: Everywhere I heard the term ‘captain’ or ‘a whale in the bay’ and came to realise it meant someone with money to spend. |
2. ‘a major influence at work behind the scenes’ (Wilkes).
| Williamstown Chron. (Aus.) 12 May 8/1: Well, folks, no doubt you are all aware of the frightful display put up by our side last week, and you are no doubt wondering like me, if there is a whale in the bay, or to speak plainly, trouble in the camp. | |
| Mercury (Hobart) 19 Jan. 3/4: How quickly Dr. T. Gaha ran to cover among the red herrings to avoid answering my questions about greyhound racing affairs. Over a period of years I have been interested in what becomes of all the money handled by the Hobart Greyhound Racing Club [...] Gaha's red herrings might yet turn out to be a ‘whale in the bay’ if Parliament insists on a proper inquiry. | |
| Advertiser (Adelaide) 4 Dec. 2/8: In Sydney when you shout ‘There's a whale in the bay’ you mean a dead one and it stinks. | |
| Australian 14 Nov. 3: Mr Read said he had thought there was something suspicious about the race, and had told his staff the only way such a poor horse [Fine Cotton] could possibly win such a race was ‘by a ringin’. ‘I knew there had to be some kind of whale in the bay for this kind of activity to go on’ he said [GAW4]. | |
| Sydney Morning Herald 23 Mar. 1: ‘Whatever the reason for the turnaround [by the Cabinet on airport policy], it didn’t come out all right,’ the minister added. ‘There was a whale in the bay — Abeles or something. I just don’t know’ [GAW4]. |
1. a general intensifier, whether positive or negative, hell of a, a under hell n.
| Student Sl. in Cohen (1997) 12: whale n. […] 2. Something exceptionally large, as ‘a whale of a procession’, jolly, as ‘a whale of a time’; or severe, as ‘a whale of an examination.’. | |
| ‘Out of His Class’ in Taking the Count 193: I’ll give ’em a story! I’ll give ’em a whale of a story! | |
| ‘Eliphaz, Late Fairfax’ in Old Man Curry 153: You’re putting up a whale of an argument. | |
| Big Town 138: He’s got a whale of a stable and he expects to clean up round New York with Only One, which he claims can beat any horse. | |
| Babbitt (1974) 34: I just want to know can I do you a whaleuva favour? | |
| Roman Hat Mystery 49: It’s taken you a whale of a long time getting here. | |
| (con. 1920s) Big Money in USA (1966) 915: I tell you, young men, it’s going to be a whale of a big cake. | |
| Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 105: A whale of a complication has been introduced. | |
| Mad mag. Nov.–Dec. 11: There’s gonna be one whale of a battle now. | |
| Blue Movie (1974) 62: Not that we can’t make a whale of a movie in a tank-town! | |
| (con. 1954) Tomato Can Comeback [ebook] You had one whale of a fight tonight, kid. | |
| To Die in June 269: ‘The wee bugger was having a whale of a time’. | |
| Empty Wigs (t/s) 423: I just had a whale of a time being spoiled. |
2. an exceptional person.
| [ | | ‘Epistle to J.R.’ in Poetical Works (1871) 120: O rough, rude, ready-witted R*****, / The wale o’ cocks for fun an’ drinkin!]. |
| Harvester 403: ‘Yes, I’m a whale of a lover!’ said the Harvester grimly. ‘Nice mess I’ve made of it.’. | |
| ‘His Own Stuff’ in Score by Innings (2004) 384: He [...] wants [...] to brag about what a whale of a ballplayer he used to be in college. | |
| Main Street (1921) 164: I don’t know as I’d say he was such a whale of a scholar. | |
| Timber Wolves 254: You’re a whale of a lawyer, you are, Heritage. You don’t know the first thing about it. | |
| Dark Hazard (1934) 264: He’s a whale of a dog. |
a large amount of, a great deal of.
| Main Street (1921) 214: Don’t think a whale of a lot of that. | |
| Plastic Age 12: He left us a whale of a lot of jack when he passed out a couple of years ago. | |
| Cecil Beaton’s N.Y. 25: A large amount is ‘a whale of a lot.’. | |
| We Are the Public Enemies 128: They said they could throw a whale of a lot of smoke out of the exhaust of a car by monkeying around with a rich oil mixture. | |
| Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1959) 75: The Italians [...] enjoyed the meetings a whale of a lot more. |
a riotous evening, an extremely enjoyable occasion; occas. negative use.
| Student Sl. in Cohen (1997) 12: whale n. […] Something exceptionally [...] jolly, as ‘a whale of a time.’. | |
| Babbitt (1974) 290: We [...] had a whale of a good time. | |
| (con. 1900s–10s) 42nd Parallel in USA (1966) 310: They’d have a whale of a time getting hitches all over the place. | |
| Joyful Condemned 315: I am pleased to think that last leave two of the nicest guys I ever met were having one whale of a time. | |
| Solid Mandala (1976) 28: The two old dogs were having a whale of a time amongst the fresh cow-turds and paspalum tussocks. | |
| ‘Christmas Crackers’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] You could be having a whale of a time couldn’t yer? | |
| Indep. on Sun. Culture 25 July 1: You can imagine the two of them having a whale of a time together. | |
| Crumple Zone 25: Hello Jonah: you havin’ a whale of a time innit. | |
| Black Swan Green 211: You’ll have a whale of a time! |
SE in slang uses
In compounds
(UK tramp) fish in white sauce.
| Tramping with Tramps 212: Whale and Whitewash – fish and sauce. |
(US tramp) a steel coal-car.
| Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 194: Whale Belly.– A steel coal-car, probably from the size and colour. |
(N.Z. gay) a male prostitute specialising in highly overweight clients.
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | ‘Trolling the Beat to Working the Soob’ in Int’l Jrnl Lexicog. 23:1 73: Contemporary terms like street oyster (a used condom), money shot (ejaculation), Narnia (an extremely closeted client), and Whale Rider (a worker who specialises in very fat men). |
In phrases
(Aus.) to vomit.
| Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 26: I’ll chunder [...] throw the voice, play the whale, laugh at the ground. |
(US campus) sardines on toast.
| Star-Gaz. (Elmira, NY) 15 May 4/3: Yale College Slang [...] [H]ad a couple of whales on toast and threw a couple of tobys under my chest. |