"whale on" or "wail on" [wale on] (2025)

I was reading a Nora Roberts novel (Yay for Christmas Break!) and I came across this sentence: "Anything went wrong, it was because of you, then I could drink some more, whale on you and I wouldn't have to face the truth". I understand the sentence, that's not my question, but I was really struck by the "whale on you" as I've always seen it written "wail on". Merriam-Webster gives the defintion of the transitive verb "to whale" as "1 : lash, thrash 2 : to strike or hit vigorously 3 : to defeat soundly", so I'm not suggesting that "whale on" is wrong, I guess I just want to ask if anyone knows if one of these forms ("whale on", "wail on") is prefered over the other?

Many thanks in advance!

<< See also: wail on my pecs >>

tannen2004 said:

I was reading a Nora Roberts novel (Yay for Christmas Break!) and I came across this sentence: "Anything went wrong, it was because of you, then I could drink some more, whale on you and I wouldn't have to face the truth". I understand the sentence, that's not my question, but I was really struck by the "whale on you" as I've always seen it written "wail on". Merriam-Webster gives the defintion of the transitive verb "to whale" as "1 : lash, thrash 2 : to strike or hit vigorously 3 : to defeat soundly", so I'm not suggesting that "whale on" is wrong, I guess I just want to ask if anyone knows if one of these forms ("whale on", "wail on") is prefered over the other?

Many thanks in advance!

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Since wail in this sense is not listed in either M-W online or its online unabridged dictionary, it's safe to say that it's a nonstandard spelling.

Interesting! I never bothered to look up 'whale' in this situation. Both the Urban Dictionary and Online Slang Dictionary list beating on someone as 'wail on', and that's how I've seen it written (the few times I've seen it written). I pronounce wail and whale in a slightly different fashion, and I've always heard 'wail', but others in my area aren't always so precise (and probably didn't know there was a difference, either).

Urban Dictionary lists a definition for 'whale on' that I hadn't heard before (and I'm paraphrasing): to have such vigorous and forceful sex with a woman that it is no longer considered sex but physical domination. Can you tell from context if this might be the definition intended?

It's nice to know I'm not the only one...

That's definitely

the definition intended. (It's a father who used to beat his son apologizing for what he did, so nothing sexual going on.) It really just means "to beat up".

I see no mention of what I recollect-- that the sense of beating is captured in this spelling "wale on", which is an obvious compression or simplication of "whale on"*. I agree wail on is a nonstandard effort based on a homophone issue. "wale on" sounds just like "wail on".

*Note the correction below from James. 'whale' on is an expansion of 'wale on' perhaps based on homophony, misunderstanding, or whatever.

From what I've read it's not a compression of "whale on". "Wale" has a definition as a verb of:

To raise a wale or wales on by striking.

As a noun, "wale" has the definition:

The raised mark left on the skin after the stroke of a rod or whip.

"Whale on" is listed as a variant of the original "wale on". Etymology of wale is:

late Old English walu ‘stripe, weal.’

(If someone had asked me before I read this post I wouldn't have known which way to spell it. )

Thanks, James,

'Wale on' is primary, in fact. "Whale on" is based on a misunderstanding, but has somehow caught on perhaps because the meaning of 'beat' as 'overpower' reminded someone of whales.

JamesM said:

From what I've read it's not a compression of "whale on". "Wale" has a definition as a verb of:

To raise a wale or wales on by striking.

As a noun, "wale" has the definition:

The raised mark left on the skin after the stroke of a rod or whip.

"Whale on" is listed as a variant of the original "wale on". Etymology of wale is:

late Old English walu ‘stripe, weal.’

(If someone had asked me before I read this post I wouldn't have known which way to spell it. )

Click to expand...

Here's what the OED says about "whale" = beat, flog, thrash

Etymology: Of obscure origin. Commonly regarded as a spelling of wale v.1, but there are difficulties of form, chronology, and meaning. Perhaps originally = to thrash with a whalebone whip (see whalebone n. 3b).
Now U.S. colloq​

The first citation dates back to 1790:
1790 F. Grose Provinc. Gloss. (ed. 2) Whale, to beat with a horsewhip or pliant stick.
1801 G. Hanger Life II. 162 Whaleing a gentleman is but a vulgar revenge.
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn iii. 30 He used to always whale me when he was sober and could get his hands on me.