cat-o'-nine-tails
cat-o'-nine-tails · cats-o'-nine-tails
кіт, кішка
кошка, девятихвостка
neunschwänzige Katze
A scourge having nine, often knotted, whipcords, formerly used for flogging as naval…A scourge (multi-tail whip) having nine, often knotted, whipcords, formerly used for flogging as naval punishment.
Meaning
2 sensesA scourge (multi-tail whip) having nine, often knotted, whipcords, formerly used for flogging as naval punishment.
a whip with nine knotted cords
A similarly constructed leather nine-tail whip, as used in British penal colonies and certain armies.
neunschwänzige Katze
ко́шкаkóška, девятихво́сткаdevjatixvóstka
Translations
7 languagesРусский
By meaning 1
nine-corded whip:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
nine-corded whip:
Origin
From cat + o' + nine + tails, cat referring to the inflicted wounds resembling the scratchFrom cat + o' + nine + tails, cat referring to the inflicted wounds resembling the scratches of a cat. First attested in 1695.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: cats-o'-nine-tails| Singular | cat-o'-nine-tails |
|---|---|
| Plural | cats-o'-nine-tails |
irregular
Synonyms
1 synonymsClose in meaning
- a whip with nine knotted cords:cat