instrument of punishment
- noun
- NSFW
:
instrumento de castigo
- They go on to tell us about one possible yet unconfirmable origin: "The first origin story claims the phrase refers to the cat o' nine tails, infamously used by the Royal Navy as an instrument of punishment aboard its ships."
Examples
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The rod is a collective instrument of punishment.
Academic text (1993) -
Historically, the stocks were a well-known instrument of punishment used to publicly shame criminals.
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In the past, the whip was often seen as an effective instrument of punishment in various cultures.
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The judge ordered the use of an instrument of punishment for the offenders who repeatedly broke the law.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
instrument + of + punishment
The meaning is directly compositional: 'instrument' (a means or device) combined with 'punishment' (penalizing someone) yields 'a means/device used to administer punishment', which a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer. The noun + of + noun pattern expressing purpose or association is common in English and across languages, so the phrase is readily understandable from its parts.
Etymology
Instrument of punishment gives a clear picture: a tool or instrument used to carry out punishment, like the stocks or the guillotine in old times. So it means any device used to 'punish' people.