The colloquial expression meaning to strike or beat heavily and repeatedly is correctly spelled whale, as in The superior boxer whaled on his opponent without worry. Alternate spellings, such as wail or wale, are nonstandard and uncommon. The verb whale, unrelated to the marine mammal, is thought to derive from wale (to mark with stripes). Whale on first came into use in the late 1700s and has since remained the preferred spelling.