The cat o' nine tails, commonly shortened to the cat, is a type of multi-tailed whip that originated as an implement for severe physical punishment, notably in the Royal Navy and Army of the United Kingdom, and also as a judicial punishment in Britain and some other countries.
Read more about Cat O' Nine Tails: Etymology, Modern Uses and Types, Cultural References
Famous quotes containing the word tails:
“All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!”
—Kenneth Grahame (1859–1932)