Read "The Clock that Had no Hands" by Herbert Kaufman online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
If a man lambasted you on the eye and walked away and waited a week before he repeated the performance, he wouldn't hurt you very badly. Between attacks you would have an opportunity to recover from the effect of the first blow.
But if he smashed you and "kept mauling", each impact of his fist would find you less able to stand the hammering, and a half-dozen jabs would probably "knock you down".