FLAIL

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Dr. Goodword
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FLAIL

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:58 am

• flail •

Pronunciation: flayl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, Verb

Meaning: 1. (Noun) A manual threshing device or medieval combat weapon consisting of a long wooden handle and a shorter, free-swinging stick attached to its end. 2. (Verb) To thresh or winnow with a flail. 3. (Verb) To thrash, beat, to hit someone over and over with a stick or whip. 4. (Verb) To thrash about, to move the limbs or tail wildly.

Notes: The changes in technology should have made this word irrelevant. It was saved by its metaphorical sense when used as a verb, which took over the word as the original sense became antiquated. We are all better acquainted with the verb phrase to flail around than we are with a flail, which has long since been replaced by threshing machines.

In Play: I can't think of a relevant example of today's Good Word used as a noun, so I will immediately begin with an example of the verb: "I flailed my arms a madly as I could, but failed to attract Gwendolyn's attention before she stepped in the mud puddle." Again: "When the alligator on the bank began flailing its tail, Terrence began flailing the oar of his canoe like a madman."

Word History: Today's Good Word came down from Old English flegil under the influence of Old French flaiel, both from Late Latin flagellum "threshing tool, small whip". This word underlies the verb flagellare "to whip", whose past participle is flagellatus, from which English came upon flagellate "to whip, whip-like". This word is derived from Latin flagrum "whip". The original PIE word bhlag- "strike, hit" would seem to have taken up residence only marginally in Germanic languages. Icelandic blak "light blow" is the obvious remnant of it among the Germanic languages. But there is another oddity in English: blow "an act of hitting". It was originally blau, which looks suspiciously like blak, except there is no explanation of how the W replaced the K. (Lest I provide Margie Swed with the inclination to flail me, let me thank her for suggesting today's Good Word.)
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MTC
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Re: FLAIL

Postby MTC » Thu Nov 15, 2012 7:59 am

Turning the Biblical admonition on it head, when it comes to flails men have "beat their plowshares into swords." Here are pictures of a "flail'" the medieval weapon and of peasants employing agricultural flails as weapons. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flail_(weapon)) It appears that the argricultural tool came first, and was only later adapted as a weapon to mow the enemy down.

Agri-pun Dept.

Magdor's misguided effort to pit peasants with flails against knights with swords ended in "flailure" when his men were mowed down. Surveying the battlefield, he rued, "Our plans have gone 'arye' lads. Let's pack up our flails and go home."

LukeJavan8
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Re: FLAIL

Postby LukeJavan8 » Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:29 pm

I am reminded of medieval mendicant and their
self-flagellations.
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

Perry Lassiter
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Re: FLAIL

Postby Perry Lassiter » Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:27 pm

I happen to be reading a history of the reformation period. There were indeed many self-flagelants, some in monasteries and some among the populace. They felt flagellation helped them somehow participate in the sufferings of Christ, veering from mainline doctrine that he suffered so we would not have to. Women and nuns got involved in this as well. Probably flagelant and flagellation should be included among the associated vocabulary.

Re the use of the flail as a weapon, the picture immediately remind me of nunchuks, which my kids invariably possessed when they went through their martial arts periods. Perhaps one of our posters from the East or one invested in martial arts might care to comment.
pl


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