cat-o'-nine-tails
/,kætə'mainteilz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A whip with nine knotted cords or lashes: A cat-o'-nine-tails is a type of multi-tailed whip, historically used as an instrument for corporal punishment, particularly in the military and naval contexts.
- An instrument for flogging: It refers specifically to the device used to inflict severe physical punishment.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The captain ordered the use of the cat-o'-nine-tails for the punishment.
- Museums sometimes display a cat-o'-nine-tails as a relic of harsh naval discipline.
Advanced Usage
- "To feel the cat-o'-nine-tails": To be subjected to a flogging with this whip.
- The mutineers were sentenced to feel the cat-o'-nine-tails.
- Historical/Figurative Use: The term can be used figuratively to describe something very harsh or punitive.
- The new regulations were a verbal cat-o'-nine-tails for the staff.
Variants and Related Words
- The cat (n): A common shortened, informal term for the cat-o'-nine-tails.
- He was sentenced to a dozen lashes with the cat.
- Flog (v): To beat with a whip or stick as punishment, which is the action performed with a cat-o'-nine-tails.
- Lash (n/v): Refers to a stroke from a whip or the cord of a whip.
Synonyms
- Whip: A general term for an instrument used for striking.
- Scourge: A whip used for punishment; can also mean a cause of great suffering.
- Flogging rope: A descriptive synonym.
Related Phrases
- To be flogged around the fleet: A historical naval punishment where the offender was whipped on multiple ships, often using a cat-o'-nine-tails.
Related Idioms
- Not enough room to swing a cat: This idiom is often said to originate from the lack of space needed to wield a cat-o'-nine-tails aboard a ship, meaning a very cramped space.
- The cabin was so small, there wasn't enough room to swing a cat.
Noun
- a whip with nine knotted cords
- British sailors feared the cat