Sentence:  He wears his hat a little a one side, rakish-like, <WSD>whaps</WSD> his cane down ag'in the pavement hard, as if he intended to keep things in their place, swaggers a few, as if he though he had a right to look big ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To throw oneself quickly, or by an abrupt motion; to turn suddenly.