licking
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of LICKING
[singular]
informal
1
:
a severe beating
-
His father threatened to give him a licking if he didn't stop misbehaving.
2
:
a severe defeat
— often used figuratively
-
The team got/took a good licking [=was badly defeated] in the first game of the season.
-
Many investors took a licking [=lost a lot of money] in the stock market last year.
