# Sucker punched?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 22, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189 "2003-09-22T22:10:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189/1 "2003-09-22T22:10:32Z")

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I was recently… hit in the face. Twice.

To make a long story short, one guy held my collar/the front of my jacket (you know what I mean) and his friend hit me.

One person I was telling this story refered to it as a “sucker punch.” Now, while I’ve been told by several people that holding someone who’s not even fighting back and having your friend hit him is pretty sad, but never heard it called a sucker punch.

Is that the correct term?

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**Author:** ![Not\_In\_Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@Not\_In\_Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_In_Anger)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189/2 "2003-09-22T22:26:32Z")

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I don’t think so, or at least I’ve never heard the term used that way, and I’m from your general part of the world. I thought to sucker-punch someone was to hit them unexpectedly.

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**Author:** ![InTheField](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@InTheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InTheField)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189/3 "2003-09-22T23:06:39Z")

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certainly **Not In Anger** , that is how it is used in hockey, and you should be familar with that, being from the FROZEN LAND of WinnipegTM

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189/4 "2003-09-22T23:25:37Z")

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From Merriam-Webster:

> [@](#):
>
> Main Entry: sucker punch  
> Function: transitive verb  
> Date: 1964  
> : to punch (a person) suddenly without warning and often without apparent provocation
> 
> - sucker punch noun

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**Author:** ![culov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@culov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/culov)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189/5 "2003-09-23T00:16:40Z")

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from my experience, it usually has the same meaning as “cheap shot.” If i were you id get everyone i know and beat the shit out of those guys… but thats just me.

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**Author:** ![Not\_In\_Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ab097/32.png) [@Not\_In\_Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_In_Anger)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucker-punched/203189/6 "2003-09-23T01:10:17Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by InTheField \*  
> \*\*certainly **Not In Anger** , that is how it is used in hockey, and you should be familar with that, being from the FROZEN LAND of WinnipegTM \*\*

You had better not anger Not In Anger, or he will send an 8000 pound mosquito to eviscerate you.