whammy [M20th] A whammy is an evil influence or hex (see hag), formed from wham [E20th], which itself is an imitation of the sound of a forcible impact and has only been around since the 1920s. Whammy has been used since the 1940s but is particularly associated with the 1950s cartoon strip ‘Li’l Abner’, in which the hillbilly Evil-Eye Fleegle could shoot a single whammy to put a curse on somebody by pointing a finger with one eye open, and a double whammy with both eyes open.