Meaning of Flail | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A tool used for threshing, consisting of a long handle (handstock) with a shorter stick (swipple or swingle) attached with a short piece of chain, thong or similar material.
2. A weapon which has the (usually spherical) striking part attached to the handle with a flexible joint such as a chain.
3. Part of a rotating device, often used for cutting vegetation.
   often, plural

Equivalents

Examples

“When in one night, ere glimpse of morn, His shadowy flail hath threshed the corn That ten day-labourers could not end;”

“Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail”

“On him alone the curse of Cain Fell, like a flail on the garnered grain, And struck him to the earth!”

“If the farmer must use the spade because he has not capital enough for a plough, the sickle instead of the reaping machine, the flail instead of the thresher...”

“The carriage washing plant uses four pairs of rotating rag flails and will be capable of dealing with the whole of the diesel units as well as steam stock used for main-line trains.”

CEFR level