tar and feather

Idioms and Phrases

Criticize severely, punish, as in The traditionalists often want to tar and feather those who don't conform . This expression alludes to a former brutal punishment in which a person was smeared with tar and covered with feathers, which then stuck. It was first used as a punishment for theft in the English navy, recorded in the Ordinance of Richard I in 1189, and by the mid-1700s had become mob practice. The figurative usage dates from the mid-1800s.

Example Sentences

We were laughing over the account of Teague's adventure with the tar-and-feather committee.

From Project Gutenberg

This looked as if they really meant to tar-and-feather Abner and Hurley.

From Project Gutenberg

If the men of Askatoon had any manhood in them they would tar-and-feather you.

From Project Gutenberg