Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1700-1800
Origin: Perhaps from wale 'to mark someone's skin by hitting them' (15-20 centuries), from wale 'weal'; WEAL

whale

2 verb
     
whale2 [intransitive] American English

whale into/on somebody/something

to start hitting someone or something
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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