keelhaul

[keel-hawl]

keel·haul

[keel-hawl]
verb (used with object)
1.
Nautical. to haul (an offender) under the bottom of a ship and up on the other side as a punishment.
2.
to rebuke severely.
Also, keel·hale [keel-heyl] .
Also called keel·drag [keel-drag] , keel·rake [keel-reyk] .


Origin:
1660–70; < Dutch kielhalen. See keel1, haul
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Keelhaul is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
Collins
World English Dictionary
keelhaul (ˈkiːlˌhɔːl)
 
vb
1.  to drag (a person) by a rope from one side of a vessel to the other through the water under the keel
2.  to rebuke harshly
 
[C17: from Dutch kielhalen; see keel1, haul]

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