sledge

Sledge comes from Middle English slegge, from Old English sleċġ meaning a sledgehammer or mallet, itself from Proto-Germanic *slagjǭ. A separate sense, sledging insults in cricket, arose in 1960s Australian English from the surname Sledge, blended with the idea of a sledgehammer being unsubtle, and reinforced by singer Percy Sledge, whose hit was popular at the time.

The original sense stayed close to its blunt, physical meaning — a heavy tool for striking. Centuries later, in Australian cricket, the word took on a completely new life: a cricketer who swore in front of a woman was called as unsubtle as a sledgehammer, nicknamed 'Sledge,' and the act of hurling insults at opponents became known as sledging.

It's cognate with Dutch slegge, Swedish slägga, Norwegian slegge/sleggje, and Icelandic sleggja — all Germanic words for the same kind of heavy hammer.