cat-o'-nine-tails

English

A cat-o'-nine-tails.

Etymology

From cat +‎ of +‎ nine +‎ tails; attested since 1695.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

cat-o’-nine-tails (plural cats-o'-nine-tails)

1. (nautical) A whip having nine, often knotted, whipcords, formerly used for flogging as naval punishment. [from late 17th c.]
   • 1695, William Congreve, Love for Love:

     If you should give such language at sea, you'd have a cat-o’-nine-tails laid cross your shoulders.

2. A similarly constructed leather nine-tail whip, as used in British penal colonies and certain armies.

Translations

whip

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 九尾猫 (jiǔwěi māo, (九尾鞭))

• Czech: důtky f pl
• Danish: nihalet kat c
• Dutch: kat met negen staarten m
• Esperanto: naŭvosta kato
• Finnish: yhdeksänhäntäinen kissa
• French: chat à neuf queues (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: neunschwänzige Katze f
• Indonesian: cambuk (id)
• Korean: 아홉꼬리 고양이 (ahopkkori goyangi)
• Norwegian: nihalet katt (no) m, katt (no) m
• Portuguese: chicote (pt) m
• Russian: ко́шка (ru) f (kóška), девятихво́стка (ru) f (devjatixvóstka)
• Spanish: gato de nueve colas m
• Swedish: niosvansad katt c

See also

• cat-o'-nine (uncommon short form)