词汇 | whaling |
词源 | whaling. Two centuries ago a whaling, “a terrible beating,” was one given with a whalebone whip. Or possibly, both the whalebone whip and the wales it raised on the skin contributed to the phrase, making it more vivid. Riding whips were com- monly made of whalebone in the 18th and 19th centuries and were used to beat more than horses. Whalebone, incidentally, is a misnomer: It’s not made from the bone of a whale but from a substance found in the whale’s upper jaw. |
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