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Simple English definitions for legal terms
keelhaul
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A quick definition of keelhaul:
Term: KEELHAUL
Definition: Keelhaul means to pull a person through the water under the bottom of a ship as a punishment or torture. It was done a long time ago in history. It can also mean to scold someone very harshly.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Keelhaul (keel-hawl), verb.
- Hist. To drag a person through the water under the bottom of a ship as punishment or torture.
- To rebuke or reprimand harshly.
Examples:
- The pirate captain ordered his crew to keelhaul the disobedient sailor.
- The coach keelhauled the team for their poor performance in the game.
The first example illustrates the historical use of keelhauling as a form of punishment or torture on a ship. The disobedient sailor was dragged through the water under the ship's bottom, which could cause severe injury or death. The second example shows the modern use of keelhauling as a metaphor for harshly reprimanding someone, such as a coach scolding their team for a poor performance.