Definition

Noun: A whipping post is a fixed post or pillar, historically installed in a public place, to which a person found guilty of an offense was tied in order to be publicly whipped as a form of punishment.

Usage

The term whipping post is used to refer specifically to this historical instrument of corporal punishment. It is almost exclusively used in historical or legal contexts to describe past penal practices. - The town square once contained a whipping post for public punishments. - Historical records mention the use of the whipping post for minor crimes.

Advanced Usage

• Metaphorical Use: In modern contexts, "whipping post" can be used metaphorically to describe a person, group, or institution that is constantly criticized or blamed.
  • The failing economy became the government's whipping post during the election.

Variants and Related Words

• Pillory (noun): A wooden framework with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were locked and exposed to public ridicule and abuse. While similar in public shaming purpose, it is distinct from a whipping post.
• Stocks (noun): A similar historical device consisting of a wooden frame with holes for ankles (and sometimes wrists), used to publicly restrain offenders.

Synonyms

• Punishment post
• Flogging post (less common)

Related Idioms

• To be tied to the whipping post: Used figuratively to mean to be subjected to severe and repeated criticism or blame.
  • After the scandal, the CEO felt tied to the whipping post by the media.

Noun

1. post formerly used in public to which offenders are tied to be whipped