To find a sockdolager — an exceptional person, especially in their designated field — you need not look much further than the Nobel Prizes. People who qualify for nomination are exceptional in their actions and impact and have found a way to contribute to humanity’s progress in a particular field. Some notable recipients include activist Malala Yousafzai, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna, chemists who invented genome editing tools. A secondary definition of “sockdolager” is “a forceful blow,” more closely related to the suspected root of the word, “sock,” as slang for “punch.” It’s likely “sockdolager” as an exceptional person or thing developed in the sense of being blown over by the force of excellence.