Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
cat-o'-nine-tails

cat-o'-nine-tails

1 9.9
A whip with nine knotted cords used to beat people as punishment, often on ships or in prisons
  • noun
  • /ˈkæt əv naɪn teɪlz/
  • NSFW
translation icon : cat-o'-nine-tails
  • Motivated by the fear of economic loss, they would first try to beat the offenders into opening their mouths with the cat o' nine tails.
  • cat-o'-nine-tails whip

Examples

  • Suspicions of gross military cruelty were proven correct, and the case became notorious, hastening the demise of flogging with the cat-o'-nine-tails in the British army.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Most states don't allow a cat-o'-nine-tails whipping; I suppose executing them is considered outre?

    Blog text (3)

  • At the far end of the wall, by the closed door, was a cat-o'-nine-tails made of frayed wire.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • In the time it takes him to lift his gun, she's produced a cat-o'-nine-tails.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Control of sexual misbehaviors includes the use of corporal punishment (floggings with whips or cat-o'-nine-tails), imprisonment, and public shaming.

    Academic text (2016)

  • He had a black eye patch and a wooden leg which thumped with each step, and a thick leather belt with several pistols thrust inside it, plus a cutlass and a cat-o'-nine-tails whip.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The captain ordered the use of the cat-o'-nine-tails for punishment on the rebellious sailors.

  • After being caught stealing, he was sentenced to receive twenty lashes with a cat-o'-nine-tails.

  • The historical records describe the cat-o'-nine-tails as a feared instrument of punishment in the navy.

Synonyms

cat
vscat-o'-nine-tails
  • Archaic
15 9.9

A whip with nine cords used to punish people

is the full formal name rather than the short informal label
strap
vscat-o'-nine-tails
  • NSFW
13 7.2

A strip of leather for beating someone as punishment

is made of nine knotted cords rather than a single leather strip
knout
vscat-o'-nine-tails
  • NSFW
9.9

A heavy whip used in Russia long ago to punish prisoners

is nine knotted cords used on ships and in prisons rather than heavy thongs

How Severe

cat-o'-nine-tails
  • NSFW
1 9.9
bullwhip
4 7.2
whip
41 3.5
crop
  • Specialized
24 8.5
switch
  • NSFW
5 8.9
stick
686 1.0

Surface Forms

cat-o'-nine-tails singular
cat-o'-nine-tails plural

Morphology

cat-o'-nine-tails = cat + nine + tail (opaque) = cat + o' + nine + tail + s

Although the components are recognizable, the phrase is an idiomatic name for a whip and its meaning cannot be derived by standard compositional rules.

Etymology

Cat-o'-nine-tails comes from the picture of a cat with many tails: it was a whip made of nine knotted cords, each like a 'tail'. That's why the name means a harsh whip used for punishment on ships and in prisons.