flogging
part of speech
noun (a flogging, floggings); also the -ing form of flog
meaning for a pupil
1) A beating with a whip or stick as a punishment. tree →
2) (informal) Selling something: «flogging old toys». tree →
3) (informal) A heavy defeat in sport: «They got a flogging». tree →
sense in the lessons
In history: «a public flogging» was a cruel punishment. In sport talk, especially in the UK, Australia and NZ, «a flogging» means a big loss. In informal talk, «flogging stuff» means selling it.
examples
- Flogging was a common punishment on old ships. tree →
- (informal) Our team got a flogging, ten nil. tree →
- He's been flogging cakes at the market all morning. tree →
- Public flogging is now banned in most countries. tree →
- The book described a cruel flogging. tree →
- (informal) That was a real flogging — we lost by fifty points. tree →
- And as the picture made no reply, he tore it down from the wall, set it on a cart and drove it away, flogging it as he went, and crying-- tree →
note
Countable noun. Double g. The punishment sense is serious and cruel; the sport and selling senses are informal.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «flogging» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.