means A small black-and-white North American mammal famous for spraying a foul-smelling liquid when threatened — and, by extension, a verb meaning to defeat an opponent so soundly they score nothing.

from From an Algonquian language — likely Massachusett or a related tongue — the word came into English in the 1600s as colonists encountered the creature, recorded early on as 'squnck.' The native roots are usually traced to elements meaning something like 'urinating fox' or 'one who sprays,' a blunt and accurate naming. The verb sense of trouncing an opponent appeared later in American slang, the shutout loss as memorable and unwelcome as the animal's calling card.