Tawse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A thick leather strap, traditionally used in Scottish and other schools to cane pupils on the palms of their hands
2. A flat leather belt once used as a instrument of corporal punishment on the hands of schoolchildren
3. A strip of leather used by teachers to strike children's palms as a form of physical discipline in schools

Etymology: Tawse is a Scottish school punishment: a leather strap, often split at the end, used to beat pupils on the hand. Its name looks like a plural, and that is the puzzle. The source suggests it is apparently a plural form of "taw", a word for a marble or for the line from which players shoot, but the link is uncertain, and the word appears in records earlier than that connection would require. Taw itself is the older and more widely known word. Its plural would be "taws", and the spelling "tawse" reflects the older Scots pronunciation and spelling habits rather than a clear grammatical history. The noun was then used on its own, singular, for the instrument.

Synonyms: strap, belt