whipping post: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal / Historical / Figurative
Quick answer
What does “whipping post” mean?
A fixed post to which a person was tied to be whipped as a public punishment.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A fixed post to which a person was tied to be whipped as a public punishment.
Used metaphorically to refer to a person, thing, or issue that is subjected to severe criticism or blame.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Both recognize the historical and figurative senses equally.
Connotations
Strongly negative, associated with cruelty, public humiliation, and harsh judgement.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in modern speech. Mostly found in historical texts, discussions of history, or as a deliberate metaphor.
Grammar
How to Use “whipping post” in a Sentence
served as a whipping postbecame the whipping post fortreated like a whipping posttied to the whipping postVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “whipping post” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The protesters were threatened with being taken to the whipping post.
American English
- The colonial statute allowed the court to order an offender to be whipping-posted.
adjective
British English
- The whipping-post sentence was considered barbaric.
American English
- Whipping-post justice was common in the 17th century.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Could be used figuratively: 'The underperforming division became the whipping post for all the company's problems.'
Academic
Found in historical, sociological, or criminology texts discussing pre-modern penal systems.
Everyday
Virtually non-existent. A highly specialised term.
Technical
Used by historians to describe a specific historical artifact and practice.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “whipping post”
- Using it to refer to a simple beating ('He got a whipping post from his father'). Incorrect. It is a specific object/location.
- Confusing it with 'whipping boy' (a scapegoat, but originally a boy punished for a prince's faults). 'Whipping post' is the physical object.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an obsolete form of corporal punishment, illegal under international human rights law.
A 'whipping post' is a physical post for punishment. A 'whipping boy' was a historical person—a boy educated alongside a prince who was punished for the prince's misdeeds. Both are now used metaphorically for scapegoats.
No, its connotations are exclusively negative, involving pain, humiliation, and injustice.
It refers to a specific historical practice that is no longer current. Its metaphorical use is also quite dramatic and literary, making it uncommon in casual speech.
A fixed post to which a person was tied to be whipped as a public punishment.
Whipping post is usually formal / historical / figurative in register.
Whipping post: in British English it is pronounced /ˈwɪp.ɪŋ ˌpəʊst/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈwɪp.ɪŋ ˌpoʊst/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “serve as a whipping post”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a POST in the ground where someone receives a WHIPPING. Imagine a historical scene of public punishment.
Conceptual Metaphor
PUBLIC PUNISHMENT IS A WHIPPING POST (e.g., 'The media made her a whipping post for the scandal.')
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary contemporary use of 'whipping post'?