lick
n.— «Many folks in the rest of the country wonder why anyone would want to live in such a flood-prone place. Luke becomes visibly tense at the subject and responds, “It’s a way of life,” referring to living on the water. “The new buildings are being built on pilings. So you can take the flood. Wind, you just don’t know. But everyone’s going up,” he says, referring to the homes along the bayous perched on stilts. “You just set yourself up for the lick, you know?” The “lick” is a euphemism for heavy flooding.» —“Where Gustav Came Ashore” by Steven Gray Time Sept. 3, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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You got this one dead wrong… a ‘lick’ is not heavy flooding, it is a blow , something one must endure, ie “get your licks in”, “last licks”, or “you licked him good”… refer to the old timex ad- “It takes a lickin, and keeps on tickin”…