Cat-o-nine-tails
The Cat Of Nine Tails is a type of multi-tailed whip that originated as a tool of corporal punishment from the British navy. The naval "cat" was about 13 oz. in weight and composed of a baton (handle) and 9 thongs.
During the period of the Napoleonic wars, the naval cat had a handle
made of rope about two feet long and about an inch in diameter, which was traditionally covered with red baize cloth. The "tails" or thongs were made of cord about a quarter inch in diameter and typically 24 inches long. When inflicting punishment for theft, which was considered a particular offensive crime on board ship, the thongs were each knotted three times to cause additional pain. A new cat was made for each flogging by a bosun's mate, and kept in a red baize bag until use.
In some cases a cat with a wooden handle was used, and steel balls or barbs of wire were added to the tips of the thongs to maximize the potential flogging injury. The British army had a similar whip, though much lighter in construction; made of a drumstick with attached strings, the flogger was usually a drummer rather than a strong bosun's mate. Flogging with the cat o' nine tails fell into disuse around 1870.
References in modern culture
The expression letting the cat out of the bag derives from the cat o' nine tails and its red baize bag, rather than a literal cat.
The still popular sailor's song What to do with a drunken sailor? has a verse that goes "Give him a taste of the captain's daughter" or "Throw him in bed with the captain's daughter". While this doesn't sound a dire fate for the tipsy seaman, in actuality the term captain's daughter refers to the cat o' nine tails or a similar whip.
In more recent years the term Cat O' Nine Tails is used to describe almost any kind of multi-tailed whip; particularly those found in modern BDSM. These whips are usually made of soft leather and have much less potential for injury.
See also
References and further reading
