whales

n. very large sea mammal with an air spout on the top of the head

v. hunt whales; thrash, hit repeatedly; attack with criticism

The term whale can refer to all cetaceans, to just the larger ones, or only to members of particular families within the order Cetacea. The last definition is the one followed here. Whales are those cetaceans which are neither dolphins (i.e. members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidea) nor porpoises. This can lead to some confusion because Orcas ("Killer Whales") and Pilot whales have "whale" in their name, but they are dolphins for the purpose of classification.
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Noun
1. a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
(synonym) giant, hulk, heavyweight
(hypernym) large person
2. any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head
(hypernym) cetacean, cetacean mammal, blower
(hyponym) baleen whale, whalebone whale
Verb
1. hunt for whales
(hypernym) hunt, run, hunt down, track down

See like kicking dead whales down the beach.
[Jargon File]

CACCIA BALENE