poleaxe

From earlier pollax, from poll (“head”) +‎ axe, with the spelling influenced by pole.

poleaxe (plural poleaxes)

An ax having both a blade and a hammer face; used to slaughter cattle.
(historical) A long-handled battle axe, being a combination of ax, hammer and pike.

ax having both a blade and a hammer face; used to slaughter cattle

battle axe

Bulgarian: алебарда (bg) f (alebarda)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 長柄斧 / 长柄斧 (chángbǐngfǔ)
French: hache d'armes (fr) f
German: Kriegsaxt f, Streitaxt (de) f
Italian: mannaia (it) f
Ottoman Turkish: ناجاق (nacak)
Polish: topór bojowy m
Portuguese: acha (pt) f
Russian: боево́й топо́р m (bojevój topór), по́лэкс m (pólɛks), берды́ш (ru) m (berdýš)

poleaxe (third-person singular simple present poleaxes, present participle poleaxing, simple past and past participle poleaxed)

(transitive) To fell someone with, or as if with, a poleaxe.
(transitive, figurative) To astonish; to shock or surprise utterly.
- 2020 July 26, Sam Jones, “'Everyone is panicking': UK quarantine decision shocks Britons in Spain”, in The Guardian‎:
  Lisa Griffin, who runs Brew Rock and an Irish pub in nearby Benidorm, was as poleaxed by the announcement as her customers were.
(transitive, figurative) To stymie, thwart, cripple, paralyze.
- 2021 September 25, Zanny Minton Beddoes, “The Mess Merkel leaves behind”, in The Economist‎:
  After a lacklustre campaign that has failed to grapple with Germany’s looming problems, the world should expect post-election coalition talks to last for months, poleaxing European politics while they drag on.

to beat as if with a poleaxe

to astonish, to shock

English