whip the cat: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  general (literal)neutral
  • To beat or strike a cat with a whip (literal meaning).

  Examples

  Beta

  • In the old days, some cruel trainers used to whip the cat as punishment, though it's now considered inhumane.

    En los viejos tiempos, algunos entrenadores crueles solían azotar al gato como castigo, aunque ahora se considera inhumano.

  • He told a disturbing story about how his grandfather would whip the cat to keep it in line.

    Contó una historia perturbadora sobre cómo su abuelo azotaba al gato para mantenerlo bajo control.

  • The farmer regretted that he had to whip the cat to stop it from damaging the crops.

    El granjero lamentaba tener que azotar al gato para evitar que dañara las cosechas.

  • During the reenactment, the actor demonstrated how they used to whip the cat as part of traditional discipline.

    Durante la recreación, el actor demostró cómo solían azotar al gato como parte de la disciplina tradicional.

• 2.

  historicalregional Englisharchaicinformaldialectal
  • Figuratively, to punish or chastise severely; an archaic or dialectal variant related to expressions meaning 'to flog' or 'to give someone the whip'.

  Examples

  Beta

  • The sergeant threatened to whip the cat if the recruits didn’t improve their performance immediately.

    El sargento amenazó con castigar severamente si los reclutas no mejoraban su desempeño de inmediato.

  • In old literature, to whip the cat meant to punish someone harshly for their misbehavior.

    En la literatura antigua, azotar al gato significaba castigar severamente a alguien por su mala conducta.

  • Though the phrase is archaic, some regions still use 'whip the cat' to describe strict discipline.

    Aunque la frase es arcaica, algunas regiones aún usan 'azotar al gato' para describir una disciplina estricta.